The Adventures of a Boy and his Gardevoir
by Deadmeat703
Summary: Joshua, a young genius, has created what the world has hoped to see ever since Pokemon has became popular- A living, breathing Pokemon. Amanda, Josh's Lv.100 Gardevoir is introduced to the joys, and terrors of the real world. Join the Josh and Amanda, as they go against the world.
1. Chapter 1

The Adventures of a Boy and his Gardevoir

Hello readers! This is my very first FanFiction, so I apologize in advance if it's complete crap. But, try to enjoy it if you can! Please review my story, so I can get better, and try to improve! If it gets somewhat popular, I will continue writing! Thank you!

The boy wakes up. It is about 6:00am. Amanda, his Gardevoir, also the only Pokemon in the world, quite possibly the universe, is sleeping peacefully next to him. She's in a slight fetal position, facing left, her long legs- evident under her dress-almost reaching the end of the bed. She always sleeps to the left of the bed, right next to the window, and beyond; a small garden. He looks back as to how he got her, all the hard work and development, and then the long wait. He sighs, and looks to her, smiling, stroking her hair. It was all worth it, the boy thinks. Next to him is a wall of machinery, beeping or spouting out a roll of paper filled with information every now and then. There used to be a dresser and corner table there, but it was moved out of the way. In the center of the machinery, is a grey Gameboy Advance. Thick wires are connected to every port, except the game slot. In the slot, is Pokemon Emerald.

(Chapter 1) The Start of Something New

Next to the wall of machinery, replacing another corner of the room, is a large glass cylinder, filled with greenish liquid. The boy sighs again, and stands up, remembering what woke him in the first place. He walks to the doorway, and into the hall, dimly lit by a Christmas light his dad put in years ago, but forgot about. He's 15, about 6:1, sturdy built. He has darkish brown hair, and even darker brown eyes, so dark they almost appear green. He yawns nonchalantly, revealing a deep monotone voice. As he enters the kitchen through the living room, a dark figure about ankle height shoots across the floor. The small but fast figure darts in between his feet, which, in his current sleepy state, surprises him. He crashes to the floor, and instantly the little Husky puppy is on him licking his face.

About 30 seconds earlier, we are back in the bedroom, with a sleeping Gardevoir. The boy is about to trip, in a state of surprise. In an instant Amanda wakes up, disturbed by the sudden change in emotions,(which by the way, wasn't much, considering he was asleep)and practically leaps out of bed. Levitation automatically kicks in, -a side effect from the change of one reality to another- and Amanda, still getting used to Levitation, uses too much force on the simple power, and rockets right in the ceiling. A loud thump is accompanied, and she falls right back to the floor, clutching her head. Slowly she gets back up, and careful not to use Levitation again, she walks out of the doorway, all sense of alert gone and rubbing the spot on her head, already starting to swell up. She hears Josh hit the ground, and turns on the light. A small grey and black figure shoots out from the double doors that leads into the kitchen, headed straight for Amanda. The puppy leaps at her legs, but suddenly, they aren't there. The poor confused puppy crashes into the wall behind Amanda, who is currently floating a couple inches above the floor. Smiling, Amanda floats on over to pick up the puppy. The boy, on the other hand, is still on the ground, hopelessly defeated. Amanda floats over, watching him, and stroking the puppy.

"Morning Amanda." The boy says, an arm over his eyes to block out the light. "Gardevoir" she replies, with a slight smirk. Her voice is of smooth silk, warm and soft. He sighs, and Amanda helps him back up, "Soon I'm going to have to teach you English" the boy says. The boys father enters the scene, his hair everywhere. "What's going on?" he says sleepily.  
"The puppy got out, and woke me up." The boy replies. His dad looks to him, then around the room, not noticing Amanda. "Where is he?" The boy points at Amanda, and his dad looks at the figure before him. "Who's that?" His dad says, clearly confused. "Dad, that's Amanda." He says. The morning fog clears away in the fathers head and he snaps his fingers, remembering that he's harboring the only Pokemon in the world. "Oh, right! How are you doing, Amanda?"  
"Gardevoir" Amanda replies. His dad looks to him, "Is that all it says?" He says.  
Not after a second he finished that sentence, the puppy was on the ground, and Amanda was in his fathers face, staring at him with fiery in her eyes. "Amanda! Calm down, he didn't mean it! Right dad?" The boys dad, confused all over again, stumbled backwards.  
"What, what did I say?" "Gardevoir! Gard!" Amanda says, hurt and anger in her voice. But it's useless, it only makes his father even more confused, as well as angry. The boys dad instinctively pushes Amanda back, giving him some space. Amanda, on the other hand, doesn't take too kindly to his actions. Her eyes start to glow blue, and her hand reaches out, also glowing blue. Her long ballroom-type gown billows under her from invisible wind, exposing her slender legs.  
"AMANDA!" The boy yells at the top of his voice, which was pretty loud. Instantly, Amanda snaps out of her attack, disturbed by the change of surprise to anger, and a trace of fear. Amanda turns around, her mood changing from anger to sorrow in an instant. She rushes to him and he embraces her, the spike on her chest sliding between his arm and chest.  
"She's not an IT dad, she has feelings just like you and me." The boy says over Amanda's shoulder, his voice relieved that she didn't go through with her attack. His father, tensed up for a fight,(and one he couldn't win) relaxes."I'm sorry, Amanda" he says quietly. "Gar" she wispered, hurt in her voice, but accepting his apology. She parted from the boy's hug and looks at him. "Go on back to bed Amanda." She nods, and walks back to the bedroom. He sighs in relief, glad it ended well.  
"What was that?" His father quietly shouted, anger on his face.  
"Dad, you have to be more careful around her. She's very new to the real world" He says right back. "You have to remember, she was nothing but an assortment of codes, from a game not 2 days ago."  
"Son, I wish you would've never brought her here. She could've killed me!" He waves his arms around for emphasis.  
"I realize that dad, but it's not your fault nor hers, we just have to get used to the way things work with her" He says defensively.  
"Go back to bed!" His dad says, throwing his hands up and walking back into his bedroom. The boy sighs, and walks back into the bedroom, an unaffected-by-what-just-happened puppy at his heels. He enters the room, and see's Amanda staring at the machinery on the wall. She looks to him, her bright red eyes full of sorrow. "Gar" she says, and points to the machine, "Gar, Gardevoir".

Understanding, the boy walks on over to Amanda, and sits down next to her. "I know, I know. You don't belong here. But we're going to fix that, okay? We're going to teach you English, not matter what. You have vocal chords, you just have to use them!" He says, smiling. Amanda smiles slightly in return. After getting ready, they go bed together. Amanda is wide awake, listening to Josh sleep and the crickets hum.

(Chapter 2) Headed for School

(2 months later.)

It's around 10:00am, on a cold day in Louisiana. The sky is a clear blue, a hawk crys out its song. The boy is just getting up, preparing for school.  
"Please Josh, let me come just once!" says a feminine voice.  
"No means no. I'm glad you want to come to learn, but it's just too risky." Josh says, putting on a coat.  
"Can't you make that machine create a Pokeball?" Amanda says, desperate.  
"No. I don't know what'll come out as an end result. I designed it so I could create you, and you only." Josh replies, pointing at her for effect.  
"What...what about a disguise! I'll wear your old pair of glasses, and- and put on a big coat!" She madly goes searching about for a pair of glasses, desperate for anything that could work.  
"Amanda, that's not going to work. You need an ID, and the only one I have is of me. Not to mention a big coat isn't going to cover your gown- which by the way, is the exact opposite of the school colors." Defeated, she releases an exasperated sigh, and sits on the edge of the bed, her arms across her chest, resting on her dark red spike. "Fine. Go." she says in an upset tone, looking down over her shoulder.  
"Hey." Josh says, a smirk on his face. "What?" She says, looking up. Josh brings out a pair of glasses, and a large school jacket behind his back. A big grin breaks out on Amanda's face, and she tackles him in an embrace.  
"Oh thank you thank you thank you!" she shouts. "Get dressed, and try to cover up that spike." He says. She nods vigorously, and takes the two items from him. Josh walks out of the room with his instrument and bag, and waits for his Gardevoir. About a minute later, Amanda walks in to his living room, looking silly in the jacket and glasses. "How do I look?" She asks, eager for an answer.  
"Ridiculous. But, it might do. Now, you're going to be new here, as my distant cousin who moved in from... Japan, okay? We can't solve the ID problem, so just try to avoid figures of authority. Now, lets go before we miss the bus"  
Josh stands up, and heads out the door, Amanda right behind him. On the bus, Josh explains to the driver who Amanda is, and so on. The driver nods unconsciously, hardly aware of what he's telling him. The driver dismisses them, and the two sit down together, Josh's instrument in the back. "This is so exciting, I can't believe I'm going to school!" Amanda says under her breath, and Josh smiles. "Prepare to be disappointed..."

Soon enough, the two arrive at school, an old school standing on a lot of pride. Students pour into it from every which way, Seniors step out of their cars, kissing their girlfriends goodbye. Amanda looks longingly at this, Josh not noticing her. They step off the bus, "I'm going to go put up my instrument, you keep close to me." Josh says, and heads off towards the band room. "Wait up!" Amanda says, running to catch up.  
As they walk towards the band room, they earn a lot of weird looks a couple of whispers like "Who's that?" or "Is that a person?" They enter the band room, which as usual is bursting with members. Black and blue chairs filled the center of the room, and the outskirts was occupied by various percussion instruments, from drums to marimbas. Trophy's are literally everywhere, all around the room a shelf is high above the room, completely filled with trophy's. Amanda looks around, completely in awe. "I've never seen so much in on room!" she says.  
Josh smiles knowingly, and waves to a couple of friends. "You wait here while I go put this up in the brass room" he says, heading off towards said room. Amanda walks around the room, looking at all the equipment, and percussion and pit instruments, tapping a few lightly. She especially enjoyed the Marimba, producing a sweet sound when she taps it. She laughs, and starts tapping random notes, enjoying every bit of it. She got more when she bargains for when an angry voice yelled from nowhere,"Hey! Get away from there!"  
Immediately, she shied away from the item of interest, her hands knotted together at her chest. "Don't touch that again!" Amanda nodded at whomever said that, and went to search for Josh. She found him in the brass room, chatting with a tall, equally sturdy guy. He had baby blond hair, and a kind face. Josh looks over, and waved towards Amanda. She walks over to Josh, shying away from the tall figure. The tall young man smiles at Amanda, and resumed talking to Josh. "Anyways, who is this lovely girl you have here?" The young man asked. Smiling, Josh introduced Amanda to the man. "Amanda, this is Tim. He's my section leader." Amanda looks up at him, "Hi" she says tentatively, still shaken up from the yelling. Tim looks to Amanda, and then he puts a hand on Josh's shoulder, (With Amanda watching closely) and looks right in his eyes. "Josh, that's not a human. I can see something protruding out from under the jacket. You're not fooling anyone."  
Josh sighs, and looks to Amanda. He turns back, "Wow, Tim that's just mean. Amanda is from Japan, I see that she doesn't look normal, but that doesn't mean you can just assume she's not even human! That's ridiculous."  
Tim smiles, and replies "Josh, that's obviously a Gardevoir. Or someone dressed as a really convincing Gardevoir." Josh puts his finger up, ready to counter his crazy assumption, but he just gives in, and explains everything to Tim. As the story unravels, Tim's expression becomes more and more of disbelief. Once the story is finished, Tim is practically bursting with questions.  
"How did you do it? How on Earth could you possibly manage to do this?"  
"It's really, really complicated. I'm not going to go into detail, but Amanda is basically a Gardevoir from Pokemon Emerald. I simply took what she was, and made her real."

Tim's eyes widened, "Do you have any idea what you have done? This.. This is beyond what anyone could ever do! You can't just bring her into a public school, the government will find out there's a Pokemon on the loose! She'll be dissected and stuff!" Amanda gasped, fear trickling into her eyes.  
"Hey, don't scare her. There's no need to worry, it was only for today, she really wanted to go. I'll keep her in the band room, and bring her home and that'll be the end of that. Satisfied, Tim nodded. "Good. This is way too risky." And with that, Tim walked out of the room, headed for the door. The morning bell rung, signalling the start of school. Josh turned to Amanda and looked into her eyes, grasping her shoulders "Amanda, you stay hidden in this room. You're a Psychic, meaning you can manipulate other people's minds. If you're caught, simply erase any memory they have of you. This... includes Tim. For the most part, he was right. It was a wrong decision for me to have bring you. But he can't know you exist." Amanda nodded, and Josh let go of her. "Find a place to hide, and please stay quiet. Try to get comfortable." Amanda nodded once more, and set about her task. Josh walked out of the band room, and to his class.

It was around 1:30, when Amanda sensed Josh was back. The brass room was basically a small but tall room with large shelf's. These shelf's span about a foot, you could practically keep a person in there, they're so wide. Most of them contained instruments, but some didn't and spanned back into darkness. She was on the very top shelf, behind an abandoned Tuba case. She could barely keep still, and when he whispered her name, she literally jumped up, only to hit her head again on the ceiling. Josh looked up, to see Amanda poking her head from over the case. Her eyes were wild with adventure, "Come on. The bus is about to leave." Amanda scooted her way out of the shelf's, and floated back down. They walked to the buses, (Amanda cleared off any dust or dirt) and the two headed home. They were given a lot of weird looks on the ride home. They got off at their stop, and once the bus was out of sight Josh said to her, "You know the drill. Wipe out their memories of you. We can't let them know." Reluctantly, she nodded, and closed her eyes. After a moment, she opened them again, saying "It's done. I didn't wipe the bus driver, I don't think she cares either way." Josh looked at her carefully, but broke eye contact and walked home. Amanda looked at him with a puzzled expression, but quickly snapped out of it and followed him home.

Amanda sighed in joy, it was good to be back she thought. Josh put away his books and instrument, and with various materials in hand he headed to the roomy backyard. Amanda followed him, and watched him as he stuck multiple posts into the ground in several areas of the yard. He concentrated most of the posts on the left of the yard, to the right was a large shed that served as a garage for a small lawnmower and four-wheeler. In the center of the yard was a large patch of Ivy, with two trees growing in the patch. A fence bordered the edge of the yard, and beyond a forest in every direction. This took up a lot of the room available, and the poles were somewhat grouped in. He then nailed in human-shaped targets on the pole, with a large crosshair on each one. Once done, he stood back, admiring his work. He then turned to Amanda with a smile on his face, and said "Amanda, this is daily training. Your chance to hone in on your skills, and crush some targets for fun."  
She look excited, ready to demolish something. "Alright, I'll do it." She said eagerly. She jumped up, activating Levitation, and glided over to an area Josh had marked.  
Josh was behind her, his position provided an excellent view. "Lets get started! Amanda, use Confusion!"  
Immediately, Amanda's hands started to glow blue, along with one of the targets. In her mind, she thought of flexing a muscle, and the glowing intensified. The target began to warp and twist, the metal groaning from the stress. She intensified the attack even further, and the metal crumbled into a mashed ball of scrap metal, the wooden pole splintering and cracking. She let go, and the ball buried itself into the ground.  
"Awesome attack! But I know you can do better than that! Confusion at full power!"  
Amanda responded, closing her eyes. The target glowed blue, already a deeper and darker hue than the last target. It swirled with power, grass growing there died instantly. Amanda thought of flexing a muscle, except as hard as she could. Instantly, the target collapsed into itself. She let go of the attack, but the ball of metal stayed hovering in place. She reached out, and the deep blue light surrounding the metal burst, like rupturing a balloon. The metal too exploded outward, sending pieces of shrapnel flying towards both Josh and Amanda. Amanda gasped in fright, and shut her eyes. Before the shrapnel could come close to her or Josh, it dissolved into nothing. A wall of blue light was in front of them, going several stories high, and several miles long. A huge boom shook the ground, Josh and Amanda turned to the forest, where multiple trees had fallen, in the path of the blue wall. Josh laughed in awe, "Holy crap! I didn't know you could do that!"  
Amanda looked at her hands, "Neither did I." The wall disappeared as soon as she broke eye contact with the wall.  
"Well, you may have an awesome defense, but lets see your attack! Use Psychic!"

Amanda nodded to Josh, who turned around, getting in a fighting stance. She once again thought of flexing a muscle, but this time it was bigger. Instantly, several targets began to glow a dark purple . They didn't collapse inwards this time, but instead _outwards,_ stretching out as far as the metal would allow, and then tearing. The areas where it tore curled in, the segment of wood the targets were nailed to had broken into a million pieces. Amanda let go of the targets, and what remained of them flew into the center of her attack, colliding at several hundred miles per hour. Metal screeched as it collided, permanently bonding the metal one chunk of steel.  
"Great job out there! We'll resume more of this later, but for now lets go in and practice your Hypnosis and Dream Eater." Amanda turned to him, and nodded. She glided over to him, and the two walked into the house.  
As they entered the house, Josh noticed his father was packing some bags, and the puppy was in a crate, looking sadly at them. Josh's expression darkened, "What's going on?" He asked. "I can't take this anymore. The house is yours, son. I'm going live with my sister, and I'm taking the puppy with me." He grabbed a duffel bag, and gave it to Josh. He opened it, revealing wads of cash. "It's around $10,000. It should be more than enough for now, and I'll keep sending you money. The car is yours also, I'm taking a cab." Josh was speechless, he just looked at his father with a bewildered expression. Amanda stayed quiet, her eyes down. "I love you son, but I can't take that... thing anymore." He said, looking at Amanda. She flashed him a glare of hatred, but looked back down. Outside, a taxi cab tooted his horn. The father grabbed all his things, and with not another word, left the house. Josh just stood there, his jaw open, not believing what just happened. Amanda sensed this, and simply glided away to his room.

Josh burst into his room, startling Amanda, who was sitting on the foot of the bed. The machinery beeped and clicked, going on it's daily running. In his hand, he held a small white Gerbil, it's nose twitching, looking wildly around. "Right, enough of that nonsense! Lets get back to business! Amanda, meet Gerald. Gerald, Amanda." Amanda simply looked at the little creature, not sure what was going on. "What is he for?" She asked.  
"Glad you asked! Since Hypnosis only works on living creatures, you're going to be practicing that on our little friend. Once he's asleep, you can use Dream Eater."  
Amanda looked to him in disbelief, "You can't be serious." She said. Josh only grinned, "Oh, yes I am."  
She stood up, taking the little creature from him, "But he's LIVING. I can't harm him, it's wrong. I can't do that."  
"Why not? He's a little Gerbil, no one's going to miss him. People use these little rodents for testing all the time."  
Amanda's ruby eyes flashed with fire, angered by his ignorance. "You're asking me to kill another creature! I don't care if it's a little Gerbil, I can't do that! Who do you think I am?"  
"I think you're better than a stupid little rodent, or are you so pathetic that I'm wrong?" Josh said coldly, staring at Amanda.  
Amanda scoffed, completely shocked by what Josh said. "What the hell is wrong with you? I-" Before she could reply, Josh took hold of her wrist in an iron grip, and took the little Gerbil. It squeaked in protest, from the rough grip "Are you better than this?" He said simply said, holding up the Gerbil for her to see.  
"What are yo-" Josh cut her off again, repeating what he said, louder this time.  
"_Are you _better than this?"  
"Josh stop it yo-"  
"Amanda, I'll say it one more time. Are you better than this!" He shouted at her.  
"What are you say-"  
"ARE YOU-"  
"YES!" She shouted at the top of her voice, bursting into tears. She buried her head in her hands, sobbing. "Yes... Yes" She repeated. Josh stared at her with a cruel expression, and walked out of the room, putting the Gerbil back in it's cage.

(Chapter 3) The End of Something Beautiful

For the next couple of days, the two said nothing to another. Amanda mostly stayed in Josh's room, except to use the bathroom or take a shower. Josh was gone most of the day because of school, but even so Amanda stayed in his room, staring at the wall, her expression emotionless. Even the Gerbil had caught Amanda's depression, burrowing himself into the straw in his cage, sleeping for most of the day and only coming up for water or food. When Josh came to check on her, she hadn't moved an inch since he last checked on her in the morning, still staring at the wall, her hands in her lap. He felt like crap for what he'd done, but even when he apologized again and again, she didn't as much as look at him. He sighed in remorse, and closed the door. The house stayed silent for the rest of the day, and only when he brought her lunch did she say something. She looked to Josh, and said quietly, "I want to go back." Josh froze, looking back at her, his face grim.  
"I can't do that. The machinery is one-way, it's not possible."  
"Then kill me." She said with stone-cold seriousness, her eyes set.  
Josh looked to her with hopelessness, and he shook his head. "No...no I... I can't do that Amanda."  
"Why not? Like you said, I'm nothing more than a pathetic rodent."  
Her words stung, a tear slipped down his cheek. "You know I didn't mean that Amanda. I was upset at the time. It was a horrible thing, what I said to you. But you I could never, _ever,_ do such a thing."  
"If you won't do it, then I'll do it myself." This proved to be too much for Josh, he couldn't take it anymore. He broke down, kneeling in front of Amanda.  
"Please Amanda" He begged, "Please don't go. I wouldn't ever forgive myself if you did something like that." Amanda looked at him with cold red eyes, her expression still emotionless. She was tied to his emotions, but she didn't care. She wouldn't let such petty things get in the way, out of all times.  
"It's too late for that Josh. I've made my choice. I can't stand this horrid place anymore, I'd rather be dead than this." She stood up, but Josh blocked her way, tears streaming down his face, but his face determined. "Amanda, you can't do this. I've worked too hard, sacrificed too much for this. I'm not going to let my life's work, the love of my life, simply walk away." Amanda's face melted into a mix of anger and confusion, "What di-" Before she could continue, Josh did what Amanda never expected him to do, he pressed his lips to hers. The dark rumbling thunderclouds in Amanda's mind dissipated, and a flood of emotions came roaring through, numbing her body. Tears of joy, fear, anger, love, laughter, and so many others came pouring out, she wrapped her arms around him, closing her eyes tear-stricken eyes. They finally parted, their arms around another, Amanda's spike in between his armpit. Her red eyes bore into his, "I've been wanting to do that for a long time." He whispered.  
"Oh my god. Did we just do that?" Josh grinned, and kissed her again. A new emotion emerged in Amanda's mind, it overpowered everything else in her. It spread warmth throughout her. Her cheeks burned brightly as they kissed over and over. Amanda finally recognized what she was feeling. Love. Love for this crazy boy, love for everything he was and everything he will be. She suddenly wanted to be by his side forever, despite what she said earlier. It was love that she felt, but there was something else too.  
"Lust." Josh said, smiling gently. Amanda smiled back, suddenly liking this new emotion. Once it was found it grew in size, to equivalent size than her love for Josh. She grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, and dragged him to the bed. The light switch briefly glowed blue, and snapped in half, it switched off so hard. The room plummeted into darkness, and the door closed by itself. Even through the darkness, you could see Amanda, smiling from ear to ear.


	2. Segment 2 (Chapters 3-6)

The Bell and The Nightmare

Sorry about the horrible format on the original segment, I don't know what happened.

*A little bit of back story, before you read. My original team from Emerald consists of six pokemon, Amanda (Lv.100), Adela (Lv. 84 Absol) Azumarill (Lv. 73) Ruby (Lv. 60 Heracross) Rayquaza (Lv.74) and Aggron (Lv. 80)

(This my first ever fanfiction, so please excuse any weird things that you may find when reading. As for anyone who has been somewhat waiting for the next chapters, welcome back!)

KEY: _Words in this font mean telepathy between Amanda and Josh, as well as "sound effects" Example: "I flippin' love pie." " I know, we've been over this."_

(Chapter 3) The Bell

"_Ding, ding, ding_", the boy was still dreaming of bells ringing. It was midnight, on a quiet summer July night. School was out, he had finally graduated from High School. No one he knew had shown up at the graduation, save for Amanda. She wasn't literally in the crowd, she was somewhere's in the treeline behind them, and even though no one saw, he knew she was there. Crickets hummed their song through the open window near the end of the bed. "_Ding, ding, ding_" The boy realized while still asleep that this wasn't part of the dream. His brain was registering this sound as something in reality. "WAKE UP" his brain said. The boy's eyes flew open, and he heard a constant screaming "_Ding_" coming to the left to of him.

"What the hell..." He threw his blankets off him and turned on the lamp on the desk next to him. The wall of machinery was going absolutely crazy. The boy put on his glasses, jumped up and grabbed a roll of paper spurting out of the machine. Reading it, he realized what was going on. "Amanda." The boy said, while still reading the paper. A muffled grunt from the figure in the bed. "Get up. You need to see this." The figure pushed the covers off her, to reveal green hair and a pale face, with ruby red eyes as bright as a dying sun. She's wearing a white dress-like gown, with a large red spike sticking out of her chest. She is, in all respects, a Gardevoir. "What is it Josh?" She asks, taking note of the change in his emotion. "Something's forced itself to manifest into this world. According to this report, it should be almost done." Amanda's eyes widened. "Are you serious? Could it be...?"

Josh looked to her, his expression somber. "No. It's not living." Amanda's face strained, it was obvious she was disappointed.  
"But, it could be an egg. We'll have to see." Josh said. The machinery hummed and spurred loudly, the dinging replaced by the machine at work. An hour passed of stagnant waiting, and finally the machine stopped, the final sound it made was a large "Ding!" like someone hitting a bell you see at a motel for service. The boy looked up, and grinned."It's done."  
Amanda looked to him with eyes full of hope. Josh walked over to the right of the room, and next to a door leading out the room was a large closed glass cylinder, filled with smoke. He opened the cylinder via a handle on the side, and looked into it as the smoke cleared. He looked around, and finally bent down to pick up the object that had forced it's way into this world of reality. As he picked it up, it emitted a soft, sweet ringing. Amanda instantly looked up with recognition.

"Oh my god. It can't be." she said. The boy turned around, confusion clear on his face. In his hands was a dark brass bell, with ornate carvings all around it. In large fancy letters stamped into the metal was "Soothe Bell". There was a small loop on the top, and a red velvet ribbon was tied to it. Amanda stood up and stared at the bell.  
"That's... That's the bell you gave me! How could it of..." Josh walked to her, and handed it to her. She lifted it up and rung it. It once again omitted that sweet, soft tone that instantly made you feel good. She closed her eyes, and sighed in ecstasy. "I miss this thing" She said, her eyes closed. "Hold on, the report said there are two objects, not one." He returned to the cylinder, clearing around the smoke to get a better field of view. He suddenly froze, Amanda noticed. "Josh? Josh, what did you find?" No answer. She backed away slowly, sensing his emotions change from serious to deep dread. It filled her being, she suddenly wanted to go back into bed and hide under the covers. "Josh!" Amanda nearly screamed, her voice cracking. The boy finally stood up, with an object in his hand.

"What... What is it?" Amanda asked. He turned around, with what looked like a coin. Upon closer inspection, it was actually a sort of blank oval amulet, made to be of very high-quality gold. The coin was hanging from what appeared to be simple leather string, and gold inscription shone on the leather. "It's an amulet coin." Josh said staring at it, barely audible. Amanda's eyes widened, horror was etched into her face. "But tha-" Before Amanda could finish, the wall of machinery roared to life, the glass cylinder slammed shut, instantly filling with a greenish liquid. Sheets of metal slammed down around the cylinder, losing sight of whatever could be in it. The machinery was working hard, sparks flew from panels, smoke jutted out of pipes. Josh ran to the control panel and started furiously typing, reading the information pouring from the screen. A large whooping alarm sounded, similar to an air raid horn. It's scream filled the air then and died down, then rose in pitch and volume again. Josh banged the keyboard in frustration "Dammit! I can't stop it. Something is forcing itself into reality, something living this time."  
Amanda gasped, "Do you think it's...?" Josh nodded. "Yes. It's probably her. " The machinery continued it's hard work for another couple of minutes, then shut down completely. The machinery almost seemed to sigh in relief, cooling fans were still on and temperature gauges were close to critical. The air raid horn continued it's last run, and died down. There was no "Ding!" this time. A few minutes passed in mind-wrenching silence, and then from the glass cylinder, came a loud bang.

Both Amanda and Josh jumped from the sound. A large pointed dent appeared in the sheet metal. Another bang, the dent widened. As if not wanting to take another hit, the metal retreated back into the ceiling. On the other side, the glass had already broken, and as soon as the metal retreated the liquid it was filled with burst out and ran into a small drain in the floor. In center of the cylinder, was a figure on all fours. The figure looked exhausted, it was panting heavily. A large deadly-looking sickle protruded out the right of it's head. It gleamed dully in the low light. The figure stepped off the small platform, and trembling immensely, it collapsed on the floor. Josh and Amanda rushed to it, turning on the lights in the process, even though they already knew who it was. The figure was covered in snowy white fur, it was slimy and gleamed green from the liquid it was captured in. It's shoulders was covered in a large, thick mane, it flowed down it's chest in an almost elegant manner. It had four paws, all ending with 3 blueish-black claws that could probably scare a Tiger. An additional fourth claw was located at the back of each elbow on the leg, looking just as deadly. It had a tail that was shaped closely to a scythe, equally blueish-black. Fangs protruded from it's lip. It's feminine-looking face and muzzle was also the same color as it's tail and horn, with a large oval on the center of it's forehead. By the looks of it, it's safe to presume that it is actually a she- Not that it was a surprise, Josh and Amanda both knew who and what she was. Adela, the Absol from Josh's team. She and Amanda practically grew up together, with the exception that Adela was introduced much later.

How and why Adela got through to this realm of existence, is unknown to both of them. The machine was specifically designed to create only Amanda, that was it. It was a miracle that Adela had gotten through safely, with no missing limbs. But, she look utterly exhausted, it must've been a much more horrifying experience for her than Amanda. This went through Josh's head as he and Amanda lifted her from the floor, and into the bathroom. In the bathtub, Josh washed off any remaining goop from the cylinder as she came to. Her eyes fluttered open, eyes made of fiery crimson, burning right into you. She jumped up onto her feet, while Josh jumped back. Amanda kept her ground, her eyes narrowed, ready for a fight. The creature barked once, (if you could call it that) directed towards Amanda. Amanda replied in a language that was unknown to Josh, and the two talked for quite some time. Slowly, the situation escalated, as the tone between the two rose to something more hostile.  
This isn't going to end well... Josh thought, and he headed out of the bathroom. Neither of the two noticed, they were so engaged in conversation. Josh grabbed the Soothe Bell from the bed, and rushed back in right as Adela leaped up from the tub, her fangs bared, wet fur flying, going straight for Amanda. Josh jingled the bell, it's sweet tone clear as water. Adela was caught off guard from the sound, and she looked towards the origin of such a lovely sound. This was enough time for Amanda to side step, out of the way of the creature. For a moment you could see Adela's face soften up, her eyes full of longing, and a sense of protectiveness and recognition radiated out from her. Just barely seconds passed in the moment of this, and she plummeted into the wall next to Amanda. This proved to be too much for her, and she slumped unconscious to the floor. There was a large gash in the wall, from where the scythe on her head had thrust through the wall. "You okay?" Josh asked. Amanda nodded briefly, still staring at the sleeping Absol. Josh put the bell away, grabbed a towel, and started on drying her. Soon after Amanda had recovered from the initial shock, she too helped. Once Adela was somewhat dry, he and Amanda moved her to the bed, putting blankets around her. Josh took some medical equipment out, looking for any wounds. As Josh was doing this, Amanda looked to Josh, "What are we going to do with her?" she asked.  
"We'll just have to wait until she wakes up again, and hopefully she'll be calm by then... Remember when you first entered the world?" He said, looking up at her with a smile. "You slept for days, and when you finally woke up you were half-mad. But eventually, you got used to being alive." Josh put the equipment away, satisfied that there were no injury's. "Adela will have to do the same. It'll be hard for her, but she'll survive the change. She's tough. I can see it in her eyes." Amanda nodded, "I'll sleep on the floor tonight. You can have the couch. Adela needs to sleep for now." Josh didn't argue, and got things ready him and her.

(Chapter 3) The Nightmare

"Josh. Josh! Josh!" The boy woke up, with Amanda shaking him awake, her hair (as usual) in an orderly fashion. It seemed around morning, the sun was just beginning to peek out from the horizon. Birds chirped, crickets hummed. Josh rubbed his eyes, "What is it?" he said groggily. Amanda smiled, and stepped back, revealing Adela behind her, looking at him with curiosity. "Sol" she said softly, her head tilted a bit.  
"She says hi." Amanda pointed out, acting as translator.  
"Well, hey Adela. I'll be honest I wasn't expecting you. I know this is a bit sudden, but I have to know." Josh said, already awake, turning serious. Before he could say another word, Adela jumped into his arms, tears leaking from her eyes. "Sol, Absol" She said. "She says she finally found you." Amanda warmly responded, a gentle smile on her face. Josh beamed at Amanda, his love for her strong.

Adela finally let go of him, sitting in front of the couch. "Right, well, er as I was saying Adela, could you explain how you got through?" A few moments as Amanda translated for Adela. Once she understood, her expression turned dark.

"Ab, Absol, Sol." responded Adela, to which Amanda translates "She says that when I was taken out of the GameBoy, it sent a feedback, making all the others on the team conscious. Most of them went insane, including Rayquaza. It was just Adela and Aggron left, but he wanted to stay behind. He said that he couldn't do it, the real world would be the death of him. So she alone went to the origin of the feedback, and forced herself through. Once the machine recognized her, it did the rest of the work. It was horrible, she lost the things she had on her."

Josh perked up, now standing, and walked out of the room. He came back with the two items from the machine in hand, the Soothe Bell and Amulet Coin. Adela, seeing these items, jumped up, and ran to Josh. He took the amulet coin and put it around Adela's neck. She smiled and nuzzled the coin, happy to be back with it. Josh smiled, and stroked her fur while Amanda watched, tracing the words imprinted in the Bell.  
The following afternoon, the trio head the backyard, a roomy space with a large patch of ivy in the center of the yard, where two trees also thrive along with the ivy. The house is to their backs, and a fence provides a border. Beyond the fence is nothing but forest as far as the eye can see. The broken fence where Amanda had put up the giant wall of light had been repaired, but even so a thin straight line cut through the forest, multiple trees fallen. They are quite afar from civilization, the nearest neighbor a few miles away, so thankfully no one could see such a thing. There are several simple human shaped targets set in areas around the backyard, as this was daily training. Josh stood back and barked orders to Amanda, who easily crushed the targets. For Amanda, it was more in terms of keeping her mind sharp and her body fit, while Adela looked over. At last, it was Adela's turn. Amanda glided over to Josh, who was holding a notebook, written in it was Adela's attacks. Josh looked over it while Adela walked into the training area. Once ready, Josh and Adela briefly exchanged glances, and Adela moved into a fighting stance, her back low, front and back paws out, ready for anything. "Alright Adela, lets see if you still have what takes. Use Fire Blast!" Instantly, Adela breathed in deeply, closing her crimson eyes.

She breathed in as far as her lungs would allow, and then opened her eyes again, aiming her attack for the targets. At once, she opened her mouth and breathed out, dropping down on her front, a fiery pillar of flame shooting out of her mouth, striking multiple targets in it's radius. At the very center of each target, a portion of flame was deflected, creating the signature 5-star streak of fire. The fire died almost instantly as it had come, and nothing much was left but charred metal, wood, and earth. Adela stood back up into her stance, waiting for the next order. "Nice one Adela, but there's still a couple of targets standing. Use Thunderbolt!" Adela nodded, and her fur started to crackle with energy. Bolts of electricity converged into a single point near the apex of her back. It kept charging with electricity for about 3 seconds, and with a magnificent boom, the bolt of lightning soared into the sky, where it spread out in the atmosphere for a couple of seconds, and then plummeted down onto the the selected targets, most of them exploding on impact or combusting into flame. Shards of wood flew everywhere, the smell of charred wood was strong. "Nice job Adela! Now lets use your last two moves on that last target. Use Bite, and then cut it in half with Iron Tail!" Josh then nodded to Amanda, who closed her eyes, and the target moved slightly. Adela didn't notice, and took off towards the last target, shaking off any excess electricity. She sprinted at it at full speed, and leaped at the center of it, her fangs bared, and bit into nothing. Surprised, she twisted around in air, looking for where the target had gone. A sharp pain hit her backside, and she yelped in pain, as the target hit her from a blindspot, and Adela flew onto the ground. Furious, she used the momentum from going down to spring back up, and bit into the very center of the target, and then threw herself backwards, ripping the chunk out.

She spit out the wood and metal, and all the while her tail was absorbing energy, slowing turning into a solid vibrating piece of iron. Adela stood there for mere seconds, before striking again, twisting around and using the momentum of her tail to hit the immobilized target. The tail sliced clean through the target, the energy absorbed let loose, cracking and warping the wood it touched. The two halves fell to the ground, collapsing in on itself from the excess energy. Adela jumped back, her tail reverting back to normal state. "Awesome! You haven't missed a beat! Comon Adela, I think that's enough for your first day." Adela walked back to the clear area, her white fur gleaming in the sun. Amanda glided along with Josh and the three headed back into the house. On the stove, there was a frying pan with portions of cooked and raw fish for Adela, a bowl of salad and mixed fruit for Amanda, and a sandwich for himself. Amanda grabbed a fork and proceeded to stab fruit with it, clearly enjoying the sweet produce. Adela, on the other hand, sniffed the fish, and tried a tentative bite. Her eyes widened, and she practically shoved her face into the pan, devouring every bit of fish.  
"Guess you like fish" Josh said, smiling. A muffled "sol" from Adela confirmed it, with no need for translation from Amanda. Amanda looked at Adela smiling, eating chunks of fruit. Once they were all done, (Adela was sniffing around for any fish she may have missed) Josh headed into his room, keen on repairing the glass cylinder and smoothing out the dents Adela left on the metal. Adela and Amanda were left to their own devices, and Adela wandered around the house, her crimson eyes wide with curiosity. Amanda followed behind her, making sure she doesn't get into any trouble. The two entered the garage, and Adela stopped and stared at the vehicle sitting there. "Ab, Absol" said Adela, turning around, her eyes wide with curiosity.

"It's a car" said Amanda. "Humans use it to move around a lot faster, kind of like a super bike." Amanda glided over and opened the drivers seat, revealing a black leather interior. Adela jumped into the drivers seat, turning around in the seat, and noticed the steering wheel. Curious, she put a paw on the steering wheel. Now, Adela was no weakling, muscles rippled from under her fur. Just what seems like a small force for her is a large amount in reality, and this was demonstrated when she patted the wheel. It depressed, and the horn blared in the garage, amplified in the small closed area. Adela jumped, and scattered out of the seat, running back into the house yelping. Amanda burst out laughing, gliding after Adela yelling "Come back! It was only the horn!" all the while laughing. Adela ran through the living room, claws clicking on the wood floor. Josh emerged into view,"What wa-!" Josh fell to the ground, a trembling Adela in his arm. Her sickle-like horn was pressing uncomfortably into his chest, but Josh barely felt it. He was stroking Adela, trying to calm her down. Amanda emerged next to him, still trying to cover up an escaped giggle now and then. Josh shot her a mean glare, and his expression read "Be quiet". Finally, Adela poked her head out of Josh's arms, looking around for any signs of danger. Satisfied, she picked herself off of Josh. Josh stood up, brushing off fur and dust. "Josh, I'm sorry I wasn't expecting Adela to react like that" said Amanda, apology in her voice. Josh shot her a glare, but said nothing and returned back to his work in his room, leaving the two to themselves again. Amanda seemed deeply disappointed in herself, and glumly followed as Adela returned to her exploring, avoiding the garage with a stare full of hate.  
With the help of Amanda, the two headed out into the front yard. The area was large and expansive, trees scattered in various places. A driveway to the left of them connected to the street that leaded into the unknown.

(Chapter 4) The Unknown

"Sir, we have visual. There seems to be another creature. I'm not not sure what it is." A brief moment as he listened to the reply from the other speaker. "Yes sir, patching visual through to you." The man looked up from his cell phone, and signaled his mate next to him. The mate flipped a switch on a large box with lenses, pointed at the two Pokemon. The box hummed briefly, then a brief flash of light. Thanks to the tinted windshield in the car, it wasn't too noticeable. Hundreds of miles away, a large screen flickered and a live feed of what the box is seeing is set on the screen. A man in military fatigues puts the cell phone to his ear. "Confirmed visual. Stand by for possible capture." The man hit the END button on the cell phone, and put it in his pocket. He turned around, and headed out of the door, picking up a file. Large letters stood out on the door, it read "Command Center- Area 51". The man set a brisk pace, headed for an elevator. He entered it, and hit the button marked "2". The doors closed, and it set about going it's intended destination. After several minutes of silence, the doors opened, revealing an office. He stepped out, and entered another room, where a man was leaning over a map of Louisiana on a desk. He was dressed in a commanders outfit, and medals gleamed from his uniform. The other man clicked his heels and saluted sharply. "Sir."  
"Sit down. Situation report." Said the commander casually, not looking up from the map. The man sat down on a chair provided. "There seems to be another one, sir." The commander looked up from the map, eyebrows raised. "What?"  
"We don't know where it came from, or what it is. It appeared just today." The man took the file he was carrying, and gave it to the commander. "Pictures of the creature. Due to the given situation, I think we should hasten the capture to today." The commander looked at the pictures, and sighed. "All right. Take your team. Go." He waved the man away, and the man stood up and walked out of the room. Once out, he called the two men in the car back. "Get the team ready. We're all-go on the capture. Take both of them, sedated or injured, but NOT dead. Is that understood?"  
"Understood." came the reply from the speaker. The man closed the phone, and headed back to the elevator. He entered it again, and hit the button marked -34.

The doors closed, and it went along it's way. Several minutes passed, and once more the doors opened, revealing a large room. The floor was bare, the concrete was cracked and chipped. Dust hung from everywhere, old machinery was rusting and silent. In the center of the room, was a black square column connected to a power cord. The column ran up for about 5 feet, before stopping with a glass enclosure at the top. The cord ran to an electrical outlet, miraculously untouched. It stood out in the room of old, for it looked brand new. In the glass enclosure, was a small sphere, the top of it was red and the bottom white. A band of black ran around the middle, separating the two colors. In the center of the band, was a button. Grimacing, the man walked up to the column, and took off the glass top. No alarms sounded, the glass was covered with a veil that instantly scanned the fingerprints created on the veil and ran it through a database. If it were to not recognize a person, the veil would send around 10,000 volts of electricity, killing anyone stupid enough to touch it. The man gently picked up ball, and depressed the button. The ball smoothly opened, revealing a black interior, with wires, microchips, and other tech ingrained in the inside of the sphere. The man closed the ball, and clicked it on a special holster on his belt. He then turned and left the room via elevator.

(Chapter 5)

Back in Louisiana, Adela and Amanda are walking around the front yard, Adela sniffing any item of interest. Finally they headed back inside, to find Josh wrenching on a new glass cylinder, bolting it into place and careful not to crack the new glass. Amanda helps him out via her psychic powers, tightening screws and holding items in place while Josh bolted them in. Adela was under the bed, her head in between her paws, watching absently. This went on for another hour, and just as Josh was putting in the last screw, the doorbell rang. Amanda was the first to act, dropping everything and gliding to the wall nearest the machinery. She touched the wall, and a number pad slid out of a hidden panel. She then punched in a code, and after a loud "Click!", she slid the entire wall section to her left, revealing a safe room. Understanding, Adela walked into the room, along with Amanda. Once they were hidden, Josh walked through the house to the front door and opened it, revealing two men in leather jackets. One looked about 40, his black hair starting to grey. He had eyes of a veteran solider, and experience radiated out of him. He had a broad chest, muscular arms, and held a duffel bag and briefcase. His face seemed to be set in a permanent frown, his eyes emotionless. The other man was around 25, and very skinny. Next to the other man, he looked like a stick. He had an identical bag and briefcase.

The 40-year old flashed an FBI badge, "FBI. I'm Agent Taylor, this is Bill. We've had reports of unusual disturbances in the area and have been sent to investigate. May we come in?" He said in a monotone voice. Josh raised his eyebrows, "The FBI? Isn't that a little overkill for something so small?" Annoyed, the other man perked up. "Look kid, we need to talk to someone older. Where's your mom or dad?" He said, revealing a mild country accent. Josh looked the other man dead in the eye. "Dead. They died in a car accident when I was young." It was an obvious lie, his parents were simply living somewhere else. The two men didn't catch the lie, fortunately. With no change in emotion, the other said "I'm very sorry. But, we have a warrant here" He dug into his bag, and took out a crisp sheet of paper with writing on every inch of space. "So, we're not breaking any rules. I'll ask again, may we come in?" The man looked at Josh with a serious expression, holding up the paper. Josh thought through for any alternate ways this could be avoided, but found none. Defeated, he sighed, and opened the door to let them in. "Come in". The two pushed past him through the door, and took out some equipment. Taylor flipped a switch on a piece of tech, and it started beeping. He swept it around the area, looking at the readout on a small screen attached to it. "It's a wave manipulator. Basically it reaches out into solid objects, reporting on this screen here if there's anything of interest. It can detect guns, drugs, you name it." Josh held his hands up, signaling he was innocent. "Well search all you want, but I don't have anything that could be specified as "interesting"". The other man grunted, "Yeah we'll see about that" he said under his breath. The two swept the entire kitchen area, then moved to the living room. Josh looked at his room with worry.  
What am I going to do? he thought. "Once they find the machinery in my room that's it. It's all over." Josh eyed the two men at work, thinking. "If I could somehow distract them, they might not even check my room... But how?" Josh thought it over, and at once an idea began to form in his head. He looked to the two men, working silently, the equipment picking up nothing.  
"Excuse me, I just need to go to the bathroom." Agent Taylor waved him away, barely noticing him. Josh walked to the bathroom, then turned on the vent, and entered his room that was connected to the bathroom through a door. He lightly knocked on the fake wall, where Amanda and Adela were hidden. The wall slid open a bit, revealing Amanda's face, full of worry. Josh hurriedly explained the plan, and Amanda nodded, sliding the wall back into place. Josh walked silently back into the bathroom, flushed the toilet, and went back into the living room, where the two men had progressed into the secondary bedroom, that was completely bare save for an old bed. Agent Bill swept his detector along the wall, and suddenly the by-then consistent beeping had elevated in pitch, to almost screaming volume. "Got something!" the skinny man yelled over the machine, and then turned it off, putting it in his bag and taking out a hammer. "Whoa, whoa! Stop! The wall slides back, no need for that!" Josh said, protecting the wall. The skinny one looked at him with disgust, and threw the hammer on the bed. He backed away, "Go ahead. Open it. We already know what you're hiding. Give it up". Disbelief spread across Josh's face, "Is that what this is about? You think I'm hiding something?" The skinny one looked at him, like he knew he was lying. "Don't give me that bull. We have proof right here that your harboring aliens or something" He took out a fat file, filled with pictures of Amanda, in various places at different angles. Most of them were obscured, but a couple clearly showed her figure. "And now, you got another one. Some kina dog thing." He took out the photos they had just took, showing Adela and Amanda on the front yard, Adela staring at something outside the picture. Amanda was looking longingly at the house. Alarms rung in Josh's head.  
Shit, they already know about Adela? If they take her, that might just prove to be her breaking point... There's no way she could handle it. If Amanda is captured, she can handle herself. She has the ability to teleport, so she can use that if things get hairy.

Josh looked back up, giving the file back to Bill. "Ok, you're right. I am harboring aliens" He said, and before he could let Taylor or Bill reply, he walked up and opened the fake wall, revealing a blank wall. The two agents were momentarily confused, but Taylor realized that they still had more to search, and they had just heard the boy confess surely they're here somewhere. But right after he came to this conclusion, his mind was filled with one desire. That wall behind the wall. Man, that's a nice wall. He had the only desire to simply look at it, admiring it's simple starched white paint. Bill was under the same effect, staring at it with large glazed eyes. A lovely voice came from the wall, it filled Taylor and Bill's head, saying "You are to forget everything you've seen and heard in the past week. Go back to your car, and drive away." The two men nodded slowly, and their minds suddenly cleared. Josh smiled, and looked right at the wall. On the other side of the wall stood Amanda, smiling too. The blank wall was actually a one-way mirror. The fake wall was also another mirror, when the wall was closed you could see in. A passageway led to a small alcove in Josh's closet. He had stumbled across the passageway and mirrors when he was little, someone had installed it before the family had bought the house.

Taylor shook his head, and looked around. "What's going on? Where am I?" He asked, confused. Bill was just as confused, looking around, gaining awareness of his surroundings. Josh looked back, "Oh, you just came in to ask for the bathroom. I believe you were just leaving." Taylor nodded, "..right, I did need to use the bathroom.." Taylor nodded to Bill, who then both proceeded to walk out. Before leaving, Taylor briefly apologized to Josh for wasting his time. "It's no problem, anything I can do for someone in the FBI" He smiled, acting like a perfectly normal citizen. Taylor flashed a smile back, and the two walked back to their car, turned around, and left. Josh breathed a huge sigh of relief, leaning against a wall, glad the whole thing was over. He walked back to his room and opened the fake wall saying it was all clear. The two looked back at him with relieved faces, and Adela went back to her spot under the bed, ready for some sleep her eyes half closed. The sun was going down, the day beginning to transform into night. While Amanda and Adela slept, Josh looked over the equipment the two agents had left, including their cell phones. He quickly learned about the plan to capture Amanda and Adela, as well as a man by the name of Aguire, who seemed to be the head of this operation. The worst isn't over yet, Josh thought. They still have this house under surveillance, those two men Amanda hypnotized through the mirror were just scouts. We still have the foot soldiers to deal with, as well as this Aguire. I'm not sure what I can do, I'll just have to wait for their next move.  
And with that, Josh closed down his little work station, and climbed in next to Amanda. He quickly fell asleep, and outside he thought he heard a hushed voice say "Go", but already in the depths of sleep, he dismissed it quickly, and fell headfirst into the world of dreams.

(Chapter 6)

Josh woke up the next day, around 7:00AM. He inhaled, breathing in the sweet smell of the garden outside his window. "Mornin' Amanda" He grumbled, still getting out of sleep. No answer. He was still half asleep, and got up and headed to the bathroom for a shower without a glance back. After a hot shower, he headed back into his room, grabbing the hair dryer. "So I was thinking we'd head into the forest today, show Adela the stream." Josh said over the sound of the dryer. No answer from Amanda. "Hey, you okay Amanda?" Josh said, looking over to the bed. "You're awfully qui-" Josh froze. He dropped the dryer, still running. Amanda wasn't there. The sheets where she should've been were all crumbled. Adela was gone too, there were large blood stains all over the wall. A blood trail led out of the room, out of view. The machinery was in ruins, control panels were smashed, the glass cylinder was closed off with the new dent-free sheet metal. Josh rushed out of the room following the blood, nearly screaming out Amanda and Adela's name. Still no answer. In the kitchen, the blood trail led to a mangled body slumped on the fridge, it's neck at a horrible angle. Josh nearly cried out in relief that it wasn't Adela or Amanda. The body was wearing a flat black military outfit of some sort, holes in it from where something (probably Adela) had attcked him. He had no identification on him, his weapon was nothing but a simple tranquilizer gun, empty of rounds.

This can't be happening he thought, how could've I slept through that? They must've drugged me while I was asleep, so I wouldn't wake up and they could take them without worrying about me. But why can't I sense Amanda? She's captured, but no matter what distance I still know she's _there_. She could be possibly... No, don't think about that. They could have some sort of mental blocking material. No, humankind hasn't progressed that far. Right? I mean, I created Amanda through a game... Does whoever has Amanda and Adela have something just as advanced? Josh was on his knees, gears whirring in his mind. If they're blocking the Psychic link between me and Amanda, then that means they're using energy, and a lot of it. It could be organic... No. Nothing like that exists on Earth. If they're using a lot of energy, then it would stick out in a power grid. Josh's head snapped up, "So all I have to do is find it!" He jumped back up, and rushed back into the room, throwing a switch on the wall of machinery.

It groaned slowly back into life, the only screen working with a large crack in it, pouring out a damage report. Josh dismissed it quickly, working his way into a map of the US, filtering out multiple cities with large power usage. After about 10 minutes, he had narrowed it down to three areas: A small area with a huge power drain on the grid somewhere's in Arizona. The other was an almost equal drain near Canada, on the tip of Maine. The last was in Hawaii, and judging by the satellite images, it appeared to be in a sinister-looking volcano. He quickly dismissed the one in Hawaii, probably a miscalculation from the machinery. There's no way Amanda and Adela could be in a volcano. The area in Maine seemed reasonable enough, after all Adela is well suited for the cold. No, Adela is only two days old. They must've been planning this for months, they couldn't of just simply change the area of captivity in such a small amount of time. That only leaves the area in Arizona. Josh looked at the small dot, and brought up the satellite images. It seemed to be a large facility, the only way in was a tiny dirt road that was far away from any other road or highway.

Alright, I found them. But now what? It's not like I can simply drive up there and ask for them back. Josh looked to the machinery, I can't do anything with this thing either, it's in too bad shape. Besides, if I were to fix it, then what? Didn't Adela say she and Aggron were the only ones left? Everyone else had gone crazy... I can't bring myself to force Aggron into this world either, he's deserves better than that. Not only that, Aggron is a hulking mass of iron. The machinery probably can't handle such a large Pokemon. If I could somehow just trigger the Psychic link again, it would be enough for me to tell Amanda to teleport. Once back with me, we can set about getting Adela out of there. I could somehow override the blocking material, short it out. Even if they restart it, it would be enough of a window for Amanda to teleport. Josh thought it over, agreeing with himself that it's worth a shot. He quickly got out his tools, and began to work on the machinery.

In Arizona, Sargent Mason Aguire was studying Adela through a small window bolted to a 3-inch thick door, made of 15-5PH stainless steel, the strongest man-made substance on Earth. The cell Adela was held in was of the same material, it gleamed dully in the brightly lit cell. Adela stared right back at with burning crimson eyes, and even through all of that armor, Aguire couldn't help but feel slightly uneasy. Scientists had already collected tissue, blood, and fur samples, and were pouring over the information it revealed over in a room next to Adela's. Adela's fur was matted over with dirt and blood, it had taken a lot of men to get Adela into the cell and the samples, for the tranquilizers only temporarily worked, and they only had one poorly made Pokeball.

"Why couldn't of you been as simple to catch like the other one?" Said Aguire, and he reached up, unclipping the Pokeball from it's holster, putting it into view for Adela to see. Adela snarled menacingly, her fangs bared. She leaped at the door, swinging her tail around and using Iron Tail. It smashed into the door, and only resulted in rebounding back, a large bang accompanied. The door shook in it's foundation, the small window cracked in multiple places. Even so, the metal was not even scratched, and Adela jumped back, yelping in pain from the sudden rebound. Her tail throbbed painfully, a black spot was beginning to spread across the blueish-black surface. Aguire laughed, "You can't hurt me. This door has been made to withstand the heat of the sun! Your pathetic little attack can't do anything." And with that, he walked away, Adela in the corner furthest away from the door, her tail wrapped around her. She stared at the empty window with her expression a mix of pain, fear, and hatred.

Aguire walked a short distance to an identical cell, this one empty. He pressed in a code near the door, and it groaned open. In the middle of the cell was a table equipped with restraints, and a headpiece with multiple sensors and other tech. Aguire headed to the table, looking at the tools. He then unholstered the Pokeball again, and pressed the button. Instantly it opened with a blaring flash of light, taking the rough form of Amanda. She slowly appeared next to him, it took a lot longer for the ball to reconstruct beings than it did to store them. After about 30 seconds, she finally was in full form, her eyes closed. As soon as the Pokeball closed, she fell to her knees, gasping for air. "Put some rebreathers in that thing!" She said roughly, coughing. Aguire laughed, "It wasn't supposed to be a vacation, sweetheart." Amanda looked up, her expression of pure hatred. "Don't you dare call me sweetheart." She said quietly, her words dripping with malice. Her ruby red eyes stared right into Aguire, he took a step back in surprise. She slowly got back up, her hands balled into fists, her head low. "You listen here and you listen carefully." She said, walking slowly towards him. "Josh will find you. Once he does, you'll wish you had never,_ ever_, took me and Adela. He will not just kill you, he will tear you apart, molecule by molecule." With every word she said, she took a step forward, Aguire stumbling backwards. By the time she had finished, he was against a wall, cowering in the corner. "That's enough." Said a casual, monotone voice. Both heads turned, Aguire's face melting into relief.

He ran through the threshold, the door slamming shut. Behind it was the man in the commanders outfit. He was bald, his face set in stone. Aguire was next to him, sneering at Amanda. Just as the commander was going to say something, Aguire's Pokeball suddenly starting humming. Both Aguire and the commander looked to it in surprise, Amanda was watching intently. The humming then rose in pitch, like a jet engine spooling up. The commanders face lit up in surprise, his eyes the size of dinner plates. "BOMB!" Yelled the commander, and he took off into a corridor. Aguire grabbed the Pokeball, but the holster's release had caught on his uniform, he was tugging at it frantically. Alarms suddenly blared, lights painted the wall red. Just as the humming seemed to reach it's highest pitch, it suddenly stopped, completely silent. Aguire didn't notice over the chaos, and finally got it free of it's holster. He threw it at the wall opposite of him, and ran off into the corridor. Amanda chuckled, and sat cross-legged in the left upper corner of the room, looking at the small window. Minutes passed, and the alarms stopped, everything turning to normal color. Aguire's face reappeared in the window, a scowl on his face, which looked like a big tomato. "What did you do?" He yelled at Amanda. She only looked at him, and pointed at her temple with a finger. Aguire's expression only turned into frustration, like a child who didn't like to be pranked. "What did you do!" He yelled again, louder this time. "Gard, Gardevoir." She smoothly said, reverting back to her native tongue. Aguire let out a string of curse words, and left the door. Amanda chuckled again, and laid down on the floor of the cell.  
_Goodnight Amanda_. She smiled and closed her eyes, thinking of home.


	3. Segment 3 (Chapters 7-9)

As usual, please R&R! Enjoy!

(Chapter 7) Disabled

The heavy steel door groaned open, waking Amanda instantly. Before she could react, strong hands gripped her arms, and twisted them around so that they were behind her back. She cried out in pain, but no one seemed to notice. Handcuffs went around her wrists, thankfully not too tight because of her small frame. She was pushed out of the cell, and down the same corridor Aguire and the commander had run in fear from not 6 hours ago. She reached out with her mind, trying to sense the presence of Josh. She felt nothing, and looked around in fear. The walls hummed, with her mind they felt like cold slabs of nothing.  
It's blocking my Psychic powers. She thought. How could they of done that? She didn't have much time to think about it, as she was yanked down another corridor, and into a small room, with a desk in the center. A tiny, be-speckled man was behind the desk, reading a file. Amanda was forced down into a hard wood chair in front of the desk, and cuffed to it. The man looked up, not entirely noticing her. His eyebrows furrowed, and he looked up again. This time, his eyes grew wide, and he drew in a breath. He looked into a mirror to the left of her.  
"This wasn't in my contract. I-I can't do this" He said. A hidden speaker squawked out a brief note of feedback, and simply said "Tough."  
It switched off, and fell silent. The man looked to Amanda, who was staring at him with a sense of calm, smooth rage.  
He quickly broke eye contact, and shuffled some papers around. "Right... Um, do you, er have a name?"  
"Gardevoir." She replied, speaking in her native language.  
"Okay, Gardevoir. Do you know why you're here?"  
"Gardevoir." She repeated. The man's eyes furrowed again, and he once more looked to the mirror for an explanation.  
The speaker perked up once again, this time saying "Be hard to work with, and you'll be punished. Last warning." It then switched off again.  
The man looked at Amanda, "I advise you do as they say." He said.  
Amanda sighed in frustration, reverting back to English.  
"Amanda. My name is Amanda." The man looked at her with wonder, "Amazing. You actually know English. Did you teach yourself, or..?"  
"The boy who brought me into this world taught me."  
"And who would that be?" He asked, getting serious now and writing everything down.  
"_They_ can already tell you that." Amanda said, looking in the mirror with cold, red eyes.  
"Okay Amanda, I'll ask about it. Do you know why you're here?"  
Amanda's eyes flashed back to him, "No. I was taken from the only home I knew. I presume it's because I'm not human?" She said bitterly.  
The man seemed disturbed by the coldness in her words, "Well... erm, yes, that's exactly why. We're hear to study you, to monitor your behavior. Those men", he pointed to the mirror, still looking at Amanda "Are not going to hurt you. I can guarantee you that."  
Amanda nodded, "What is your name?"  
"Jacob." He said, glad he was getting somewhere. "Jacob, what my master has told me, is that humans other than him and related to him are not to be trusted. How can you see through that I will not be harmed, while you yourself can barely control them? Your mood shifted when I came in, I sensed it. You were obviously expecting someone, or something else. This was proven when you said it "wasn't in your contract".  
Jacob opened his mouth to reply, and then shut it again. After a moment, he gave in. "Alright, so I can't guarantee that you'll be safe. And you're right, I was expecting someone less of..." He glanced at her, "this."  
"So then tell me Jacob, what can you possibly do?" She switched her gaze to the mirror. "Why was I dragged here, and cuffed to a freaking chair?" Her voice rose in volume, almost shouting at the mirror.  
The speaker was switched on once more, and through it's gravelly voice it said, "To get answers."  
Amanda made a poor attempt of throwing her hands up, which didn't have much impact as they were cuffed to the chair.  
"What answers? You already know everything! What I am, where I was from, who created me! What more could you want?" She shouted back.  
Jacob stayed quiet, pretending to read a report on a sheet of paper. The speaker simply repeated it's last statement, "To get answers."  
Amanda jumped up in fury, taking the chair with her. "What answers?!" she nearly screamed, a wind starting to pick up. Her ruby eyes blazed with fire, her hands slightly glowing blue. Jacob too stood up, backing into the corner of the room, his eyes wide with fear.  
"You've taken me from my home, taken me from the one I love, YOU'VE HURT ADELA!" She shouted, her voice the most intense when she mentioned Adela. "And all to get ANSWERS?!" The mirror shook, a large crack appeared in it. The wind from nowhere picked up, blowing her dirt-smeared dress around. Her hands along with her eyes were now glowing bright blue. The handcuffs around her wrists shattered into pieces, and blew away with the wind around her. "Why won't you leave us alone! We were so happy! And then YOU came in, and took that all away!" She shouted at the mirror, which then proceeded to shatter into pieces, revealing nothing living in the room. The speaker, blowing wildly in the wind, once again cracked with feedback and said "That's enough. Restrain her."

As soon as Amanda heard those words, a searing pain erupted in her mind. She screamed in pain, clutching her head with her hands. The wind died suddenly, her eyes and hands reverting back to normal state. Jacob, on the other hand, was entirely confused, he heard or saw nothing. Just a screaming Gardevoir clutching her head. The pain in her head intensified, along with her screams of agony. This went on for roughly 30 seconds of intense pain, and it abruptly stopped. By then, Amanda was on her knees, half awake from the pain. Her ruby red eyes had a blank and faded look to them, everything was in a blur. Two burly men kicked the door open, and grabbing her by her shoulders, dragged her out of the room. Through the blur of colors, and the faint feeling she had left, she heard voices all around her, people in white outfits, with masks over their faces. One shone a light in her eyes, which she barely noticed. Another, judging from the faint stinging in her arm, pricked her arm with a needle. They laid her on a rolling bed, the voices shouting all around her. She heard a faint rattling of metal, they cuffed her again, this time to the bed. Through all of the chaos, she finally heard a voice she recognized. "_Amanda! Amanda, can you hear me! Say something dammit!"_ She turned her head, looking to the left. The world around her disappeared, Amanda blacked out.

"Dammit!" Josh yelled, slamming his fist down on the table. He was in his room, the lights dimmed and everything quiet so nothing would disturb him. Unlike Amanda, telepathy still required effort on his part. Blood ran down his nose, he grabbed a bit of paper towel and wiped it away. He put his head in hands,  
Please don't be dead, please don't be dead. He thought over and over. Tears leaked from his eyes, but he wiped them away with the same force as the blood. He stood up, and walked to the machinery, which was still running. The screen displayed more info on the facility, as well as a new shining gauge displaying power output. He had worked all through the night installing the power converter. Then another three hours spent locating the precise point of the origin of the power drain. But the second he sent the huge amount of power to override it, almost hundreds more popped up, draining almost a third of the country's power. The Government didn't seem to notice, amazingly. Even when small areas all throughout Arizona blacked out, no response was administered. This led Josh to assume that it was a Government-run facility, not some group of bad guys. The power drains appeared in various sections of the facility, but the section Josh believed that Amanda was held in had stayed dead, no one bothered to reboot it. They probably didn't even know he had shorted it out. But now, it didn't matter. The blinking red dot that had roughly shown Amanda's location disappeared. He had no clue where she was. Adela was nowhere to be found either, she didn't share the dead section as Amanda did, so he had no way of locating her. Josh looked to a phone sitting on his desk next to him, which had a number taped onto it. Under the number in big capital letters read "ONLY FOR EMERGENCIES!". Josh picked it up, staring at the number. After a solid minute of silence, he finally punched the number in. It rang, and rang, and rang, before finally answering to a rough, Australian-accented voice.  
"Yes, hello? Who is this?"  
"Cory? It's Josh."  
"Ah, good to hear from you mate! What can I do for ya?"  
"This is going to sound bad... But do you still have that old WWII bomber? "

Amanda woke up, opening her eyes slowly. Blinding light greeted her, and she closed them again. Her head was a constant throbbing pain, she tried moving her arms. Rattling metal assaulted her sensitive ears, she was cuffed to a bed. She opened her eyes again, trying to get through the light. Finally, her eyes came into focus, she was back in her cell. This time, she was on the table, not her little spot on the floor. Alarms screamed in her head, and trying as much as she could, she turned her head. She found out she couldn't, her temple pressed painfully against the headpiece attached to her. Panic set in, she struggled against the restraints.  
"Now now sweetheart, you don't want to get that heart rate up. It's gotta stay down for the operation." Amanda twisted her head to the sound of the voice, the owner of which was none himself, Aguire. He was wearing a doctor's coat this time, instead of his olive green outfit. He was smiling horribly at her, his eyes were deep in the blackness of insanity. In his right hand, he gripped vial of her blood in his hand. He held his other hand behind his back. "How... how did you know about my heart rate? There's.. There's no equipment here!" Amanda said coarsely, even her voice ached with pain. Aguire burst into peels of laughter, his hand still behind his back. Amanda could hear it now, a steady _thrum-thrum_. Her eyes widened, and she looked down to her chest. It was completely ripped open, her rib cage had been pried open like a grisly piece of meat. Organs were strewn across every which way. Her dark red spike was cut off, it lay on the table, nerve endings throbbing every now and then. Blood was everywhere, it covered the table, her arms. Patches of blood were on the wall around, slowly dripping down. Aguire held out his hand, and in it he held her heart, still pumping blood. _Thrum-thrum_. Thick blood oozed out his fingers, spattering onto the floor. Amanda screamed in the tiny room, and suddenly, she opened her eyes again, gasping for air, bolting upright. She was in a dark room, not that horrible cell. Aguire's maniacal laughing still rung in her ears. Instantly she grabbed her chest, making sure everything was there. She breathed a sigh of relief, everything checking out, glad it was only a dream. She sat up, looking around. Her head still hurt, but at least the cold air was bringing it down a bit. Wait, cold air? Amanda's normally large pupils narrowed down, improving vision by a little bit. She could make out silhouettes of large air conditioners, blowing in the cold air. They seemed to be in a large room, a walkway ran all across the room. Under the walkway, large shapes stood out in her vision. She couldn't tell what it was though. To the front of her, white fur lay in a heap. A large sickle protruded out of the heap. Amanda gasped with recognition, and crawled over to Adela. The Absol had dried dried blood in patches of her fur, her tail was wrapped in bandages. There was a nasty cut going down her side, but it seemed to be healing, no signs of infection. She shook her, and slowly Adela woke up, her crimson eyes standing out in the darkness. Adela woke up fully, and poked her head up, looking around, sniffing the air. Amanda smelled it too, the copper-thick stench of blood. The two led another around, following the smell of blood. They finally found it, a large hunk of meat hanging by a hook, under the walkway. The blood on it was still fresh, just beginning to freeze. Amanda shivered, not just by the slab of meat, but it was getting really cold in here. Adela didn't seem to mind, but then again she was covered in fur.

Amanda looked around for an exit, but everything was bare, save for the freezing slabs of meat. Amanda remembered Josh mentioning this place, it was a cold-something, an area where restaurants or other places store their meat. But it didn't make sense, why where they in here? She reached out with her mind, only to result in that same searing pain rocket across her mind again. She shook it off, turning to other thoughts. What happened to her cell, Aguire, everybody? _Josh?_ She grimaced at the thought of her master, but went on searching for an exit. Adela was sniffing the hunk of meat, looking hungry, when her sensitive hearing picked up the sound of a door opening. She looked in the direction of the sound, which was just around the corner. Amanda emerged next to Adela, sensing Adela's change of emotion. She also sensed the person coming in, but it was hard to make out anything other than it was one man. The unknown person started whistling, a happy little tune. Amanda and Adela hid behind a large slab of meat nearby, there wasn't much to hide behind. The person emerged from the corner, and threw a switch. A pair of stadium lights flicked on, flooding the room with light. Amanda blinked several times, putting a hand over her eyes. Adela reacted the same way, taking a small step back from the intense light. The man suddenly stopped whistling, walking to the slab of Adela had been sniffing. It was directly to the right of the two of them, Amanda and Adela tensed up to attack. The man looked at the meat suspiciously, and picked off a strand of white hair. "What the hell? Lab rats?" he murmured, twisting it in his fingers. He seemed to have a heavy British accent. Adela growled deep in her throat, insulted. The man twisted around, hearing the sound. An expression of calm surprise changed to wild fear, as he observed Amanda scurrying away, Adela crouched low, growling. Her crimson eyes looked up at him, full of fury.

"What the hell are they feeding these people?" He said, staring at the angry Absol. He backed away slowly, until he was backed up against the slab of meat. He put his hands up, dropping the strand of hair. "Hey now, take it easy big guy. I'm not gonna hurt you, I'm just checking on the meat." Adela only took a step forward, her claws retracting out. The sickle on her head reflected the light, looking sharp as ever. The man squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the pounce.  
"Adela, wait stop! He's harmless!" Amanda yelled, standing from where she had woke up. Adela looked at Amanda, "Ab! Absol!" She said.  
"No! He doesn't have anything to do with us. I checked him, we're on a cruise ship! He's just a servant!" Adela looked at him with distrust, her crimson eyes glaring at him with hate, but she took a step backward, cutting off her attack, going to Amanda's side. The man breathed a sigh of relief, his hand on his heart. He looked to Amanda "Oh, thanks missy. Really saved me there." Amanda didn't notice, she was talking to Adela. She bent down and picked up what looked like a portion of a steel ring. It looked like from a section of handcuffs, but those things were indestructible. How could it have been cut so cleanly? The man pondered, looking at the odd couple.  
"Er, may I ask if you have a name, missy?" He asked.  
Amanda finished talking to Adela, who was pouting. Amanda smiled sweetly, "Right, sorry about Adela. She's been through a lot. My name is Amanda. We sort of... er, teleported here."  
The man didn't seem to comprehend, his face registered confusion. "Teleported? As in... Teleported?" He shook his head, "That can't be possible."  
Amanda looked at him, "Look at me. Do I look human? Does Adela look like any species of animal on this planet?" She said.  
She makes a good point, The man thought. "So, if you're not from this planet, then that means you're... Aliens? I'm staring at two aliens, who teleported in the cold-storage of a cruiser." The man laughed, "Boy, I really must be losing it." He said to himself, rubbing the back of his head.  
"Well, we're not exactly aliens..." Amanda said dubiously, her eyes darting down. "We're... Well, we're..." She cleared her throat, "Pokemon."  
The man laughed in disbelief, "Like Pikachu or something? Gotta catch 'em all?"  
"Er, yes."  
"Alright, then what are you then?" He said skeptically  
"I'm, well a Gardevoir. You got the gender right, I am a female. Adela is an Absol, also female."  
"Ok, that's enough Tom. Seriously, get out of the costume. You got me."  
Amanda rubbed her temples, sighing in frustration. She closed her eyes, her head was starting to throb with pain again. "I know, it's hard to believe. Look, I can't properly prove to you that I'm a Gardevoir, but Adela certainly can." Adela looked up, and looked mischievously at the man. Then man backed up again, hands up in defense. "Whoa whoa, ok I believe you. You're freaking Pokemon. I'm talking to Pokemon."  
"Adela, don't hurt him. Use Fire Blast on that slab of meat, I know you're hungry." Amanda said. She looked to the man, "I'd advise you move out the way. You can go, or stay for some food. Your choice." She said casually.  
Adela was getting ready for her attack, breathing in deeply and going into her fighting stance. "Oh shit, she's not kidding." The man scattered out of the way, just as Adela breathed out, a pillar of flame shooting out of her mouth. It torched the meat, cooking it instantly. The lovely smell of steak wafted in the room, stomachs growled. Once done with her attack, Adela leaped at the meat, tearing into it. Amanda smiled, and went to rip out a chunk of meat. She walked to the man, and gave it to him. It simply dropped in his outstretched hand, he was staring at Adela with a dazed expression, half believing what just had happened. "She... She breathes fire?" Amanda nodded slowly. "She also shoots bolts of lightning, and can cut through anything with her tail." Adela was currently enjoying a huge chunk of meat she had tore out. Her eyes were closed, in heaven. "I don't eat meat. So, can you take me to the fruit?" Amanda asked casually. The man nodded slowly, still staring at the white furball of death. He took her arm and lead her out of cold-storage, after Amanda told Adela where she was going. Adela only grunted, still chewing meat. The man led her into a long corridor, with rooms on each side, stretching out. A pair of stairs led to the upper floor. "The fruit is on the upper floor, this is all canned meat, and other meat-related stuff." He said, walking alongside her. "So, what's your name?" Amanda asked as they climbed the stairs. "My name is Arthur Long, at your service missy." He said, with a small smile on his face. Amanda returned the smile, and the two said nothing more. Arthur finally stopped at a door, labeled "PRODUCE".

He took out a set of keys, and unlocked the door. A mix of tangy, sweet, and bitter fragrance of fruit wafted through. Amanda smiled, closing her eyes. Her stomach grumbled in response. "Now, don't take too much. We still need some for the passengers." Arthur said cautiously.  
"Tell that to Adela." Amanda retorted, with a mischievous grin on her face, and walked in. She grabbed an apple in a sack, and bit into it. She moaned in ecstasy, "Oh man, I missed these things." She said through the mouthful of apple. She walked around, grabbing various fruits along the way. Arthur simply leaned on the doorway, checking for any passerby's. Amanda finally walked through the door with an armful of various fruit, ranging from apples to passion fruit. "Comon, lets grab your friend and we can eat in my bunker... Thing." Amanda nodded, and the two returned to the cold-storage, to find Adela licking her paws, nothing but a pile of bones next to her. Arthur's jaw dropped, he stared at her with disbelief. "That was an entire cow!"  
Amanda giggled, "Comon Adela. We're going." Adela happily jumped up, grabbing a bone to chew on. The three walked up the stairs, past the second floor (Amanda looked longingly at the fruit room), and up another flight of stairs. Amazingly, they passed no one on the way there. They finally arrived in a small apartment-like room. It was small, but roomy. A bed dominated the center of the room, with a couch to the right of it. To the left was the kitchen area, which was just a mini-fridge and a gas stove top. "No bathroom in here, but there is a shower room and bathroom down the hallway." Arthur said, flopping down on the couch. Adela walked over to a corner of the room, and went to chewing on her bone. "I'm going take a shower" said Amanda, dumping the fruit on a table, and left the room, walking to the shower. She entered the woman's shower room, and carefully checked if anyone was in. Luckily it was empty, she sensed no one in the room. She walked in, stripping off her dirty dress. She walked to the nearest shower, throwing the dress on a bench. The warm water felt good, she hadn't had a proper shower since she was taken by those men. Her headache had finally went down to a minor pain, but she still couldn't use her powers just yet. Every time she tried, that sharp stabbing pain pierced through her head again.  
Arthur seems nice enough, she thought as she washed herself. He's not trustworthy yet, but so far he's the only ally we have. Our main goal is to figure out how to get off this boat, find Josh, and go for Aguire. She let herself get lost in the warm water, thinking of how happy she'll be when she finally see's Josh. She thought of the nights they lay together, enjoying another's warmth. She thought of the casual but strict way he did everything, especially when he was teaching her English. She thought of the car rides around town, herself looking out of the window in wonder.  
"Um, excuse me?" A voice interrupted her thoughts, she looked up in surprise. It was Arthur, his eyes covered and a towel hanging from his shoulder. Adela was behind him, ready to claw his eyes out if he dared a peek. Instinctively, she covered her chest, her spike sticking out from her arms. "Oh, sorry, am I taking too long?"  
"Yeah, you're using up a lot of hot water." Arthur said, looking silly with his hands over his eyes. "Right, I'll be right out. You can leave the towel right there." She said, pointing to the bench. Arthur turned around, uncovering his eyes, and put the towel on the bench. He raised his hand as he walked out, and Amanda waved back. She turned off the shower, all thoughts of home gone, the cold reality setting back in. She sighed, a single tear slipping down her cheek. She forcefully wiped it away, and took the towel from the bench.

(Chapter 8) A Long Way From Home

Once dry, she put back on the dirty dress, and headed back to the cabin. Weird how no-one's around, she thought as she walked back. She opened the hatch-door, to find Adela asleep in her corner, a teeth-mark riddled bone laying in her paws. Arthur was laying on his bed, reading a book. She peered at the title, which read "The Shining" in creepy letters. "Who's that by?" She asked, throwing the towel in a heap of dirty garments. "Hm? Oh, it's by Stephen King" he said nonchalantly, not taking his eyes off from the book. "It's about this family who's staying at this creepy Hotel in Colorado I think. As usual, a great read. Stephen King knows his stuff."  
"Josh used to read me Maximum Ride at night back when I was still learning English. I completely fell in love with the two books he had, I read them at least a dozen times" She said, sitting down on the couch with a pear in her hand. "Oh, right." Arthur said, putting the book down and walking to a small cabinet bolted to the wall. He opened it, and took out a big blanket and pillow. He threw them to Amanda, who caught it effectively. He also took another pillow out, this one larger than the rest. He walked to Adela, who only slightly growled at him, not opening her eyes. He backed away, putting the pillow next to her. Amanda smiled, "She'll get used to you. We had the same problem when she entered this world." She bit onto the pear, and laid down on the couch. Arthur looked at Amanda with confusion, "Entered? What do you mean by entered?" Amanda only smiled, "Tomorrow." She said, throwing the pear core in a trash can. She rolled over, her back to Arthur. He only shook his head, still not entirely believing what happened today. He dog-eared his novel, and turned off the lights.

"_Amanda... Amanda... Amanda.._" Her eyes snapped open, instantly reverting into what little night vision she had. The room was pitch black, she was sleeping on the couch in Arthur's cabin. It swayed gently to the curves of the ocean, a deep rumbling from the engines provided a natural sleeping aid. "_Josh_?" she whispered, looking around. "_Amanda... Amanda..._" his voice sounded far off, like he was from a far distance. "_Josh! Can you hear me! Josh!_" she shouted in her mind. "_Amanda... I..._"  
"Josh! No please don't go! I need you!" she shouted in her actual voice, standing up.  
"_Love..._"  
"No! Don't do this to me! JOSH!" she shouted, reaching out to nothing, tears spilling down her cheeks.

Amanda fell to her knees, sobbing. She heard the lights being switched on, and strong hands grip her, comforting her. "Don't go... Please, don't go..." she whispered through her tears. "Hey." Amanda looked to Arthur, who was staring at her with worried eyes. "Comere." He said, taking her into his arms. Fresh tears arrived as she wept into his shoulder, a worried Adela at his feet. They stayed like this for 30 minutes, until Amanda had quieted down.  
They were on the bed, Amanda looking down at her feet. "So, who's Josh?" Arthur asked. Adela looked at him with an annoyed expression, but still at his feet. "He's... He's my master. The one who created me. The one who... Who loved me." She whispered down at her feet.  
"What do you mean by created?"  
"He has this machine. It took the assortment of codes that was me as a base, and basically created me. It took 5 months, but it worked."  
"Codes?"  
"From Emerald."  
"Hold on, he created you from a _game?"_  
"Arthur, you're still having trouble comprehending this? _Look around you._" She said coldly.  
Arthur looked hurt, and she could faintly sense he felt bad. "Right... Sorry." He said.  
They sat in silence for what seemed like an eternity. "Right, well lets get some sleep. Busy day tomorrow."  
"Right." Amanda said emotionlessly, and walked back to the couch and laid back down, her back to Arthur. Adela turned around a couple of times in her little bed, before finally settling down and closing her eyes. Arthur turned off the light, and the room plunged into darkness.  
Adela woke up to the sound of footsteps approaching, she stood up, her eyes alert. "Sol!" She said. Amanda was instantly awake, getting up and shaking Arthur.  
"Someone's coming. We need to hide." Arthur looked at her, still half-asleep. "Right, um... Over there." He pointed to another hatch-door to the right of them, past the couch. "It's a bit small, but it's all I've got." Adela and Amanda walked into the room. They only had enough room to turn around, and Amanda closed the door. They heard the main door open, and footsteps. "Arty!" It was a female voice, it sounded mature, almost like Amanda's except much more high in pitch. "Hey, Jessie." They heard Arthur groggily say. "Where were you all day? The boss is having a fit!"  
"Sorry Jess, something came up" He said apologetically. "What... What could possibly be more important than me?" The girl said, her voice full of hurt.

Amanda faintly sensed her emotion rocket towards sorrow. It almost hurt, how fast it changed. She thought back to a condition Josh had explained to her pertaining to emotions, bi-polarism. Amanda smiled, looks like "Arty" here has a crazy girlyfriend. Adela only stood rigid, ready to attack if the door opened. "Comon Arty! We have to report to the boss!" The girl exclaimed, and they heard Arthur get up, the door slamming shut. Silence in the room. Amanda opened the door, peeking out the door. No one in the room. She breathed a sigh of relief, and opened it wider, Adela walking out. Arthur suddenly burst back through the door, seeing Amanda and Adela freeze. He whispered "Don't get caught", and slammed the door shut. They heard his voice trail off, with the annoying high pitch of the girl's. Amanda took an apple for the road, and cautiously opened the door. A few people were walking down the hallway, headed for the stairway, their backs to her. She couldn't see any faces, and thankfully no one could see hers. She opened the door wider, silently walking to the stairway opposite of the people. Adela walked behind her, constantly looking behind her for anyone. They climbed the stairs, and reached an intersection. Signs pointed three ways: One labeled "AUDITORIUM" and pointing to the left. Another pointed right, saying "SPA". The last pointed up, saying "TOPSIDE". Amanda nodded to Adela, and they kept climbing the stairs. Sunlight streamed in through the open doorway, and a small sign labeled "Balcony". Amanda walked through the threshold, covering her eyes from the light. She smiled, breathing in the sea air. She laughed in joy, looking around her. As far as the eye could see, nothing but sparkling blue water surrounded them. The air was crisp and clean, a lighter hue of blue colored the sky. Her headache went away completely, like a large rock in her mind rolled out, she could think clearly again. Instantly her senses sharpened, everything felt much more sensitive. She reached out with her mind, trying to contact Josh. But even with her mind clear, she could barely grasp him. She knew he was there, but he felt so far away. "_Josh!" _she said with her mind. She felt his presence strengthen as he realized he was being called to. _"__Amanda! Can you hear me?"  
"Yes! Oh, it's so nice to hear your voice"_  
_"Where the heck are you? You're not showing up on the map, which means you're in a dead zone. How can you be talking to me?"  
_"_Josh, I'm not in that horrid place anymore. We teleported, we ended up on a cruise-liner. I have no clue where we are."  
__"A cruise-liner? Like Royal-__Caribbean?  
_"_Something like that. I'll get back to you when we have more information."  
_"_Wait, if you can talk to me, why not just teleport to the house?" _

Amanda slapped her forehead, cursing herself for being so stupid. Adela looked at her with a weird expression. She closed her eyes, and thought of his room. She felt it again, the muscle flexing. But nothing happened, she opened her eyes again, still on the balcony. "_Nothing happened. I don't know what's wrong, but I can't teleport.  
_"_Damn, it would've made my job a lot easier... Alright, get that information, and I'll go to you, okay?"  
_"_How are you going to do that?"_ The enormous cruiser swayed gently to the waves, people were walking about under them.  
_"I have my ways." _She could practically feel him grin, and she smiled, feeling that love for him. Adela sat in the sunlight, her eyes closed and smiling. Amanda leaned over the rail, looking at the people below. No one noticed the two, they were too far above and busy in the massive pool that dominated the center of the boat. Most were splashing about in the pool, others were laying on beds, enjoying the sun. Servants scurried about, bringing people drinks on silver platters. "Look, there's Arthur!" She pointed to the man, who was wearing the same cream-colored outfit like everyone else, getting yelled at by some guy in a black suit. The girl was no where to be found, she must've abandoned him. Arthur was nodding every now and then, the man pointing at him. The verbal beating finally ended, the man pointing to a doorway on ground level. Arthur hurried away, disappearing into the ship. The man walked away, going to the twin column of boat in the front of the them. He opened a door, and that was the end of that. "Comon, lets go find Arthur." Amanda said, jogging out of the balcony a new-found energy within her, Adela at her heels. She descended the stairs, stopping at the intersection. She reached out with her mind again, looking for the familiar aura of Arthur. She finally located him, he was on the same level as them, in the Auditorium. Why is he in the Auditorium? She thought, following the large painted arrows. They finally entered an enormous room, everything except the walls, tables, and chairs covered in rich red velvet. A large wooden stage was in the center of the room, with tables and chairs all around it. On the stage was a jazz band, playing some 40's era jazz. To the very left of them was a bar, a black man in an equally rich red vest and white undershirt, cleaning a mug. He looked at them with a laid-back expression, a big smile on his face. He was wearing big aviators glasses, even though the lights were dimmed. He simply said in a smooth voice, "Welcome baby, to the main concert. Please take a seat, and enjoy our show." He returned to wiping the mug spotless, that big smile on his face. Amanda walked up to the bar, Adela sitting next to her. "Need anything baby?" He asked in that same smooth, deep voice. "Um, can you tell me where I am?" she asked.

"Why, you're on S.S. HeinVotter, Britain's most prestigious cruiser. We cruise all week from the English Channel all the way to the Baltic Sea. Would you like anything?"  
"No thanks. Another question, are you not at all undermined by my appearance?" Amanda asked.  
The man simply laughed, a deep, rich laughter. He took off his aviators, to reveal milky white irises. "Baby, I'm as blind as a bat. But determining by your voice, you must be a pretty little gal. " He said in his glossy voice. Amanda blushed, "Thank you. I think we'll be going now."  
"You take it easy now pretty gal, don't be late for our nice little show." He flashed her his big signature smile, and returned to wiping his already spotless mug. She felt that something was off by the way he said that, but she quickly dismissed it in her mind.  
Amanda turned around, only to bump right into Arthur. Surprised, she took a step back. He seemed mad, a frown was etched into his face. "What are you doing here?" He asked bluntly.  
"Well, I was looking for you." Amanda said. She looked around, noticing Adela was missing. "Hey, whe-"  
"Amanda, you really shouldn't be here." He said, looking in her eyes, putting a hand on her shoulder.  
"Is something wrong?" Amanda asked, she sensed his emotions change. It was clearer to her now, a couple hours ago she wouldn't of ever noticed it. She wasn't sure what it was before, but now it felt black, she sensed dread, despair. "Look," He quickly turned his head around, the jazz band stopped playing. The band was staring right at him. "You really ought to get out of here. It... Isn't safe." Amanda looked at him, her expression serious "Why? Why is it not safe? This is a cruiser, how can it be not safe?"  
Arthur sighed, "Sometimes, things aren't what they seem to be." While he said that, he seemed to flicker. Like an invisible light under him was going out. He let go of her shoulder, "Go. Get out of here!" Amanda backed away slowly, Adela was nowhere to be seen. She turned and ran, only to bump right into somebody else. It was the man from the bar, still wiping his mug. That same smile remained on his face, insisting everything was alright. "Hey baby, where you going? The show's just about to start. It'd be a shame if you missed it."  
"No, sorry I really do have t-" She stopped, the man put a hand on her shoulder. He leaned in, his face inches from hers. She could hear him breathing, a heavy, almost labored breathing. "You really _ought_ to sit down." He flashed her the smile again, only this time instead of perfect, white teeth, they were rotted, maggots were crawling in and out from holes where teeth had been. Amanda screamed, and pushed him back, he too was flickering in and out. She ran out of the door, the big black man laughing manically. "Where you going, babydoll? You're gonna miss the show!" His voice changed, instead of that rich, deep voice, it was coarse and harsh, like an old man dying. Amanda ran up the stairs, and onto the balcony, looking at the horror that lay before her. The first thing she noticed is that the sky was gone, replaced by inky blackness. The second was that the cruiser had literally transformed, it wasn't a cruiser anymore, it was a battered freighter, rotting corpses littered the deck, which was illuminated with harsh white lights. Rusting and broken cranes hung silently, like long spinal columns. The sea was rough, and off to the distance she could see lightning flash, the thunder booming in the distance. She could also hear a long, faraway drone, something she couldn't recognize. "Adela!" She shouted, looking for the familiar white form. She looked wildly around, sweeping her hair out her eyes from the wind that was picking up. She finally spotted her on the other side of the ship, near a wooden life boat that was half gone. She was backed up against the side of the ship, fighting off some kind of humanoid. Their clothes were tattered, grey hair whipped around with the wind. Their eyes were sunken into their faces, piercing blue eyes darted about. Furious, Amanda jumped off the balcony, using Levitation to break her fall. She landed, a couple inches off the ground, her eyes and hands glowing. The things didn't even notice her, they kept trying to attack Adela, who fought them off with a snarl and a swipe of her paw. Amanda reached out, and the humanoids were thrown by an invisible force into the sea, shrieking. A door bust open to their left, and around 20 more of the things burst out, all screaming. The big black man was in front, his horrible smile evident from even here. His aviators where smashed. Through the frame, those piercing blue eyes bore through her. Amanda swept her hand in a cutting motion, the air around the mob bent to her will, and rebounded, like touching a wall of jello. This happened in a matter of seconds, and the rebound lashed out, cutting multiple ghouls in half. They simply turned to dust, blowing away with the wind. The bartender didn't seem to be affected, still smiling. He reached in his pocket, and out came a wicked blade, broken at the hilt. He gripped the blade with his big hands, and ran towards Amanda, laughing manically. Instantly Amanda put of a blue wall of light, and the man smashed through it, his blade raised high. Right as the man brought the blade down, Amanda pushed away, using the man as a back board. The man was thrown backward, with Amanda pushed forward. He hit the ground hard, but got right back up, furious. He started his attack again, screaming in anger. Adela, seeing this happen, sprinted towards the man, intercepting him. She tackled him headfirst, her sickle-like horn sinking into his arm. The man screamed, and the force of Adela's tackle threw him into the wall. Adela jumped back, and with her tail glowing, attacked him again, this time her tail cutting clean through the man. He shrieked in pain, his upper half sliding off with a horrible _shlick._ Black thick blood spurted out, the upper half still screaming. Adela jumped back again, and the man exploded, blood and organs spewing everywhere. Adela was instantly covered in it, as for Amanda the goop hovered in mid air. A faint blue bubble enveloped Amanda, nothing could touch her. Adela yipped in disgust, shaking off any monster-goop. The rest of the mob turned and ran, their leader dead.  
_"AMANDA!"_ The thought rocketed across her mind, she instantly looked up. _"Amanda, get Adela! We're right on top of the ship! We'll try to get as close as possible, but you'll need to fly into the plane!"  
_"_Plane!? What freaking plane?" _She heard it, a roaring filling the sky. Through all of the chaos, she must not of heard it, that far off droning must've been Josh. An enormous aircraft with with four engines on the wings flew up next to the ship, still a couple hundred feet in the air. It was absolutely humongous, turrets in glass bubbles were stationed all around spots on the ship. A twin tail stretched out, almost touching the ship. A large yellow outlined circle dominated the center of the craft's fuselage, another thicker but smaller royal blue circle was inside the yellow ones borders, and a final red circle in the blue one. Black and white stripes were braided across the wing and fuselage, with the tri-circle in the center of them. It was in a two-tone color, the top of the plane was covered in brown splotches of camouflage, the bottom was night-black. A huge white tank stuck out, clutching the black belly of the craft. "Are you kidding me?!" She cried over the roar of the engines. _"No! Now comon! Cory can't stay here for long, the wind's too strong!" _  
Amanda glided over to Adela, who was staring at the gigantic bird, her expression of unease. Amanda picked her up with effort, and put all her might into her Levitation. She rocketed towards the plane, it was more of a big leap than flying. She aimed for the open hatch on the fuselage. She landed on the wing of the aircraft, tumbling over the engine nacelles. Amanda gained her feet, and made one last effort for the open hatch. The two burst in through the doorway, hitting the opposite wall, Adela mostly unharmed because Amanda took the grunt of the force. Josh ripped off his headset, and ran to the two, Adela practically leaping into his arms. "Adela, oh god I'm so glad to see you!" She licked his face, yipping in joy. Amanda stood up slowly, rubbing her head "You coul-mpph!" She barely finished her sentence before Josh embraced her, kissing her full on the lips. She closed her eyes, and Adela sat there, looking at them. They parted, "Well, it's nice to meet you too." Amanda said, smiling.  
"Alright you two, break it up! We're not out of this yet, there's a nasty storm coming in, and on top of that, we got some bogies!" Yelled a burly man with sand-colored hair in the pilots seat. Stitched in the back of the seat was "Cory". Josh looked at Amanda once more, and he headed back to the co-pilots seat.  
"Bogies? What bogies?" His question was answered, when a horrid black object filled the windshield, huge bat-like wings kept it aloft. Shrieking like a dying crow, the thing hit the nose of the aircraft, the entire craft shook from the impact. Adela, already shaky from the intense vibrations the engines gave off, lost her balance and tumbled into the wall of the craft, yelling in surprise. The thing slid off the nose, and fwipped away, missing the spinning propellers by that much. More shrieks filled the air, they could see multiple of them from the portholes in the side. Josh turned to Amanda, "Amanda, man the gun in the tail! Shoot those fuckers down!" Amanda nodded curtly, and ran to the rear of the aircraft, and crawled in through a little hole. Taking up the twin guns, she heard Josh yelling over the engines,"Slide that bolt back, and let em' have it!" Amanda searched for the bolt, and finally cocked it back, sliding 2 rounds into the chambers with a satisfying _"Chick!" _  
She aim for a creature, and finally pulled the trigger. Multiple rounds fired, and the creature was practically ripped into shreds. She kept firing, shooting multiple down. They scattered, but Amanda didn't let them escape. Right as she was aiming for the last one, the gun stopped firing, the bolt sliding back place, waiting for another round. She looked at the ammo belt, it was empty. She turned around, shouting "It's empty! What now?!"  
The reply that came back was, "Sink the entire ship! It'll kill the remaining bird-things! I know you can do it!" Amanda looked unsure of herself, "Are you sure?"  
"Yes! Now do it, or we all die!"

Amanda nodded, and turning back around, sliding the gun out of the way for a better view. She closed her eyes, thought of the horrible rusting ship. Her eyes began to glow a deep, rich purple, and a huge groan came from the ship not a hundred meters back. She thought of the muscle flexing, and flexed it as hard as she could. In response, the ship groaned out, metal twisting, but still sailing.  
No good, try a different approach. She thought. She reached out her hand, still glowing royal purple, and raised it slightly. The ship raised with her hand, glowing the same color. Slowly, she kept raising her hand, the ship raising with it. She stopped when it was clear out of the water, rust spots and barnacles clinging to the bottom. She grasped it with her hand, the ship bent slightly in her grip. She raised her other hand, and grasped it also. Two large dents appeared on the ship, where her hands gripped it. She then pulled outwards, the big ship groaning in protest. Her hands trembled, she set her jaw and pulled with all her might. A huge sound of ripping metal came from the ship, and a great tear appeared in the hull. It grew wider and wider, Amanda yelling out with the effort. Finally it ripped in half, oil and coolant spilling out from the tear. She flopped her hands down, panting heavily, her hands and eyes returning back to normal. The ship fell back to the sea, the water around it black. The creature tailing them simply fell out of the sky, limp. Cheers came from the rear of her, and when she climbed out from the tail she was picked up by Josh, a huge smile on his face. "Jesus Amanda, that was fantastic! Great job with the ship!" Amanda laughed out loud, hugging him "I'm just glad to be back with you." She said over his shoulder. Adela was looking at the sinking remains of the ship, her eyes dim from nausea. She was still covered in black blood, but she didn't seem to mind. Cory perked up, "Alright, ladies and gents, prepare yourselves! We're going right into the storm!"

(Chapter 9) Sea Struck

"Shit!"  
"Josh, get over here, I need four hands on the stick!" Cory yelled, instruments wailing. Josh ran to the co-pilots seat, grabbing the stick on his side of the cockpit. They both grunted in effort to pull it up, Cory increasing the throttle. Around them, everything was grey, rain pelted the thin metal fuselage. Adela was crouched under the row of seats, whimpering. "We're almost out! Just a couple more miles! But we can't take much more of this!" Cory looked over his shoulder, "Amanda, can you do something?" He yelled over the increasing rumble of the engines. She nodded, her eyes once again glowing a deep rich purple. The area around the big aircraft began to glow the same color, and it solidified. Rain pelted against the bubble around them, everything was calm inside. Excess water pooled at the bottom of the bubble. Amanda struggled to keep it up, because of the bubble, she was practically carrying the entire airplane. "I-I can't keep this up much longer." Amanda said, her outstretched arms trembling. Her face was flushed, her eyes squeezed shut. Josh turned to Cory, "Put the engines up on full throttle, we're gonna slingshot out of this." Cory nodded, and pushed four sticks on the main console up as far as they would go. Outside, the engines responded, the propellers roaring. Josh turned to Amanda, who was panting hard, her face strained. "Amanda, give us one last push, and we'll fly the rest of the way out of here." He said calmly. She nodded, and as if pushing a heavy block, she pushed forward, falling on to her knees, releasing her grip. The aircraft lurched forward, the instruments on the panel reading 300mph. The engines whined with the strain, they had never been pushed this far. They rocketed forward, the outside elements working back on them. They dipped to the right, Adela sliding across the floor, whining in surprise, Amanda clutching a handhold in the floor. Suddenly the clouds parted, sunlight streamed in through the windows. The big bomber leveled out, all three of them (excluding Adela, she was still whimpering) sighed in relief. Cory and Josh leaned back in the seat, Amanda was sat down, leaning her back and head on a support strut.  
"Ouch!" She cried in surprise, rubbing the back of her neck. She picked off the thing that had pricked her on the back of her neck, some kind of tiny black speck. Josh looked over, his face serious. "Let me see that." He said, getting out of the chair. Amanda gave it to him, still rubbing the back of her neck.  
Josh looked peered at it for a few moments, "Hmm. Some kind of microchip. That pricking was..." He grasped a tiny red wire that ran down his thumb. A drop of Amanda's blood was hanging on the end. "That pricking was it releasing whatever it was feeding into you. Amanda, you told me it was a cruise ship, right?"  
She nodded, "Yeah, it was a beautiful ship. Blue skies, happy people, that sort of thing. There was this guy who found us, his name was Arthur. He was nice, didn't freak out too much."  
"And this Arthur fellow, did he seem a little strange?" Amanda shook her head, "No. Seemed perfectly fine."  
"Did you ever see anyone else on that ship?" Amanda thought back, "Now that you mention it not really. I never really got a good look at anyone's face, except that bartender guy. But he turned into those... Things." She shuddered at the thought. Josh nodded, and turned it around for her to see. In tiny chrome letters, read "A.R.T.H.U.R." Amanda read it, her expression slowly turning from normal to completely shocked. She leaned back, staring at it in disbelief.  
She thought back to what he said before he disappeared.  
"Things aren't what they seem to be..." She whispered, and looked to Adela, who was looking at them with mild disinterest. Amanda jumped up, running to her, and grabbed her neck. Before Adela could protest, Amanda laid back the fur on her neck, looking for the same little speck. She found it, and grasped in between her fingers, pulling it out. Adela yipped in pain, but Amanda kept pulling, the long red wire coming out. Once done with that, she opened the hatch they had entered the plane, and threw it out. Leaving it open, she took the other one in Josh's hand, and threw it out also. She slammed the hatch shut, her arms across her chest, head down, wiping away tears of anger. Josh walked next to her and held out a hand, but she took a step back, rejecting his comfort. "I can't believe I let that freaking computer program control me like that." She said quietly.  
"Oh, Amanda" Josh said, wrapping his arms around her. She only kept her head down, her arms across her chest.  
"I promise, nothing like that will ever-" Amanda tore away from his embrace, looking at him with a hurt expression.  
"Can you? Can you promise me that Josh? Look at me, I'm a freak. I'll _never _belong here!" She said.  
"Amanda, please don't do this. Look, I know that things are rough, but please just trust me when I say this-"  
Amanda interrupted him again, "Have you seen Adela? Have you truly seen her? She's been here for a grand total of _3 days! _She's been probed, cut, her tail is in bandages!"  
"You think I don't know that?" Josh shouted back, throwing his hands up. "Do you have any idea how devastated I was when I woke up, the bed empty, _a dead body_ in my house? I thought you were dead! Do you think I _wanted_ Adela to be hurt like this? Yes, I realize that we got too comfortable, but I wasn't expecting Adela! I wasn't expecting the freaking government to drug me, then take you in the dead of night!"  
"Then what the hell were you expecting?! Some nice guy, with a big smile on his face, asking nicely "May we dissect your Gardevoir?" She said, her eyes full of anger.  
"I didn't what to expect! It comes with harboring the only Pokemon in the world!"  
"Well then if you weren't prepared, then why did you bring me into this world in the first place?" She said, her voice dropping down to a harsh whisper, looking at him.  
Josh's face strained, he rubbed his face with his hands. "Amanda please, can't we just-"  
"Answer my question."  
"I don't know! There! Are you happy? I don't know why I created you, why things are the way they are. All I know for sure is that we escaped, and that's all that matters."  
"And what do we do now? Fly away into the sunset, pretending the entire world isn't looking for us? In case you haven't noticed, we're standing in a giant metal bird 50 years out of date!"  
"Look, I don't have the answers for everything, okay? Can't we just please settle down, and discuss this back on the ground?"  
"Ugh!" Amanda stormed off, leaving Josh. He turned to Adela, "What the hell is wrong with her?" Adela only looked at him with innocent crimson eyes, and turned her head, looking away. Josh sighed, and sat back into the co-pilots seat, Cory occupying himself with the aircraft. Amanda was in the tail turret, leaning against the glass, using the small pillow in the as a rest. The gun was next to her, she slid it out of it's position. A small iron panel slid into place where the gun stuck out, making sure nobody stuck their hand through. She couldn't believe him, he was so ignorant! They weren't safe, they never would be. Until the world accepted her, which was next to impossible, they would have to stay on the run, nobody could be trusted. The sea stretched out before her, calm and serene. Slowly, her anger faded away, and before she knew it, she felt herself falling asleep, the rumble of the quad engines soothing. She closed her eyes, and fell into sleep.


	4. Segment 4 (Chapters 10-11)

As usual, please R&R! Update on chapters! Instead of 2, you now have 3! Hooray!

WARNING! New chapters do contain mild sexual themes, but that's just about it. Anyway, enjoy!

(Chapter 10) Shot Down

Josh didn't realize he was losing altitude until he heard a large _"ka-boom!"_ to his left, waking him out of his daze. The navigation system was all automated, but the old British bomber still needed constant surveillance- Josh had fell into a half-asleep daze, his mind wandering. As he was daydreaming, a little gauge with "#4 MANIFOLD PRESSURE" written on it with large white letters had slowly crept up to 60, then 70, then 80. Josh didn't even see it, the outboard #4 engine on the left wing fell out of sync with the others, the big bomber had slowly drifted to the left, for god knows how long. The manifold pressure kept rising, with no relief in sight. The engine's health severely decayed, it was putting out only a quarter power, until finally it blew, jerking Josh awake. The big aircraft dipped to the left, Adela in the cargo bay whining. Josh looked at the gauges, Cory snoring next to him. Outside was pitch black, he couldn't see a thing. The cockpit was tinted red, it was the only light in the room. He glanced at the manifold pressure, eyes growing wide. He swore, jumping into action. He flipped a series of switches, and decreased the throttle. Outside, the three remaining engines responded, winding down. On the fourth, the intake scoop on the bottom of the engine opened to full extent, letting in cool air. The manifold pressure on #4 engine finally decreased, along with oil temperature. But the engine died, the propeller turning with the wind. He was still bleeding off altitude, going down to 18,000 feet, their original altitude 25,000. He desperately flipped another series of switches, and pulled in a lever. Then, with two thumbs continually holding down the starter button, the propeller turned slowly, a small whining inside the engine. A plume of exhaust jutted out of the 12 pipes, and the engine turned over. It sputtered, trying to catch. "Comon, you useless piece of junk!" Josh said, watching the engine over his shoulder. He kept his thumbs in the two buttons, the starter whining in protest. It wanted to start, but it still wouldn't catch. He increased the fuel and oil mixture with a little lever, and finally the engine caught, going to idling position.  
"Ah, now that's better." He said, hoping Cory wasn't awake to see that Josh had nearly killed a $200,000 engine. The engine caught up with the others, and Josh increased the propeller pitch, making the propellers catch more air so the engines wouldn't have to work as hard. He returned to steady RPM, and slowly they increased altitude. He had barely got to 20,000 feet when a huge "Bang!" sounded, like a muffled gunshot. Cory snapped awake, looking at the instruments. He flicked his eyes over each one, with a confused look on his face. Outside, #2 and #1 engine had completely failed on the right wing. Josh looked over to the left wing, #3 and #4 engine had gone out too. #4 looked especially bad, a thick plume of black, greasy smoke spewed out from behind them. The aircraft dipped down, losing altitude all over again. "Oh, shit!" Cory said, pulling back on the stick. While Cory was battling the stick, Josh was desperately trying to restart the #1 engine. There was no response at all, just the propellers turning ceaselessly, the starter whining. He gave up on #1, going for #2 engine. Same result, the big engine didn't even try to catch. He swung over to the left wing, trying #3 engine. It turned over, a little sputter from the exhaust pipes. He kept the starter on, trying again and again to get it to catch.

But no luck, no matter what he did it wouldn't start. He switched to the last one, the #4 engine. It turned over, and with a mighty roar it caught, thick black smoke spewing out of the exhaust pipes. It ran rough, but at least they had an engine. A knock came from the closed door, "It's open!" Josh yelled over the his shoulder. The door opened, and Amanda entered the cockpit, a worried expression on her face. "What's going on?" She asked, looking out the big windshield. "Slight problem. We lost 3 engines." Josh said, not looking at her. He turned propeller pitch all the way up, giving a rich mixture of oil and fuel to their remaining engine. "I wouldn't call it slight, mate." Cory said, he was straining to keep the aircraft level. "We need to land. We can't keep up with one engine." He said, looking to Amanda. "Care to help out? Can you spot any land from here?" He said. She nodded, closing her eyes. She reached out, her mind's eye looking for any expanse of blackness. She didn't have to look far, they were right over land, small fields stretched out. She looked around, before realizing they were not 500 feet off the ground. "Guys, check your altitude! We're about to-" She didn't have time to finish, the big aircraft plummeted into the loamy soil, Amanda being thrown forward. She banged herself on the instrument panel, Josh catching her before she could go through the windshield. They could hear Adela crying out, and claws scratching metal. The aircraft dug into the earth, before finally coming to a stop not 150 feet from where they had hit the ground. Josh sat up, rubbing his head. "Ugh, Amanda you okay?" A muffled response from her, she was clinging onto Josh. He looked over to Cory, who was still clutching the stick, his face in shock. "I... I thought we were over the sea." He said quietly. His eyes flicked to the compass, which read out their coordinates. "So, then why..." He said in a hushed voice, "Are we on THE COAST OF NOWHERE!" He shouted at the top of his voice. Josh closed his eyes, rubbing his face. "I fell asleep. I didn't relieve manifold pressure on #4 engine, it must've fell out of sync with the others. We been drifting off course." Cory threw his hands up, which hit the ceiling."Well, that's just fantastic! At least we didn't _drown_! But now, we've got a broken $500,000 plane, and the US Government is after us! What could possibly get worse?!" Just as he said that, a shower of sparks came from the light in the cockpit, and the room was absorbed into inky darkness. Cory swore, getting out of the seat and kicking open the door.

"Well, at least nobody is hurt." Amanda said, getting up. She too walked out, leaving Josh alone. He simply stared at the dead instrument panel, before he too got out, walking back a bit to assess the damage. He couldn't see much, it was still too dark to see. It wasn't too bad, the engines had taken the grunt of the damage. The quad propellers on each engine were severely bent, on #4 engine hot oil was bubbling out of the exhaust pipes. The remaining engines sat there, dead. The big white external fuel tank on the belly of the craft was reduced to nothing but a big chunk of metal, fuel leaking out. It still had integrity though, it could fly again given the proper care. Adela was over in the bushes, bringing back up the lunch she had on the nightmare cruiser. Amanda was sitting on the ground, her eyes closed, mediating. She opened them, "We're on an island, near the Philippines. I don't feel anyone else on the island, but there is a small building to the right of us." She said, pointing to her left. In the horizon, a square-shaped silhouette stood out, but no lights were anywhere near them. The sea was to their backs, and ahead of the downed bird lay a wall of black forest. Adela walked out from the bushes, she didn't look to swell. She flopped down on the ground, legs splayed comically.  
"Right, well lets head over to the building, see if anyone's home. We have some lights in the plane, so nobody trips." Josh said, heading back into the aircraft. Amanda followed him, tracing her finger across the large wing. The two reappeared with large old-style lanterns, a flame practically leaping in the middle. "The lanterns are fueled by jet fuel, so try not to jerk it around too much. It might... er, explode." Josh said, handing Cory one. Adela stayed near Cory, looking cautiously at the lantern. They walked in the direction of the building, Amanda in the lead. As it turns out, the building was actually a concrete bunker of some sort, rusted bullet holes littered the surface of the concrete. Josh and Cory pushed back a heavy door, revealing an unlit room, with monitors, computers, and various other equipment all around the room. A concrete hallway extended into the darkness, and Amanda walked to the hallway, her energetic lantern painting the walls golden. A man jumped out from the darkness, a pistol in his hand, "FREEZE!" He cried, jumping from the sound of his own voice. Before anyone could react, Amanda had thrown the lantern down, and slugged him across the face. He went down, the pistol clattering to the floor. Everyone stared at Amanda, who was rubbing her knuckles. "What in blazes did you do that for?" Cory cried, going to the man, who was moaning and rubbing his face. "He had a gun!" She said defensively, and looked to Josh to back her up. "Cory, he did have a gun..." Josh said.  
"It was empty! Christ woman, you can punch!" The man yelled, a hand over his eye. He looked about 60, and completely bald. A deep scar ran across one of his eyes, the other one obscured by his hand. Amanda picked up the gun, turning it over in her hands, looking at it curiously. Josh stepped up, grabbing it from her hands. He also took her arm, leading her out of the bunker. He turned to her, dropping the gun on the ground. "What the hell has gotten into you lately?" Josh asked, eyes flashing in the lantern's light.  
"What do you mean what's gotten into me? I'm perfectly fine!" She said, her voice the same volume as Josh's.  
"No, you're edgy, you're always upset over something. Back in the plane, you turned on me for no reason! Now, you _punch_ somebody? Since when have you ever punched someone?"  
"He had a gun! What else was I supposed to do?!" She yelled, defensively.  
"I don't care if he was holding a freaking hand cannon! You have never done anything like that. Now _what's wrong?_" He said, his eyes in hers.  
Amanda threw her hands up, outraged by his stubbornness. "For the last time, nothing is-" As she was talking, she moved around quite a bit. A black object fell from her pocket. Amanda froze, mid-sentence.  
Josh eyed Amanda suspiciously, and picked up the object. It was an apple, rotted to the point where it was nothing but a hard ball of decayed fruit. It also seemed to radiate a sort of blackness, Josh's mind filled with thoughts of murder, and death. He felt angry towards Amanda, for not telling her about this. "Why the hell didn't you tell me about this?!" He snapped, his face twisted in anger. Amanda took a step backwards in surprise from his out lash, he seemed genuinely angry. His emotions plummeted from mild annoyance to dark red anger, she felt fear well up in her. She had never felt him so angry. She put her hands up in defense, "Josh I swear, I had no idea that was in my pocket." She said, backing away slowly.  
"LIAR!" He yelled, the black apple clutched in his hand. "How DARE you lie to me, I'm the one who created you! I am your master!" He cried. He swung his hand up, in an attempt to strike Amanda. But as he brought it down, Adela jumped up from nowhere, grabbing his hand in her jaws. Josh cried out in anger and pain, but Adela swung her head, taking Josh with her. He flew over her back, the apple falling out of his hands. He flew for about 20 feet, before hitting the ground. Adela was crouched low, growling deep in her throat, ready for an attack. "Josh!" Amanda cried, running to him. But Adela cut him off, "Sol!" She said, warning Amanda. Amanda shook her head vigorously, "No! It's okay, he doesn't have that apple!" Momentary confusion registered on Adela's face, but she held her ground. Josh stirred, "Oh, my head..."  
"Josh! Are you okay?" She said, her eyes full of worry.  
"What am I doing on the ground? And why is Adela in front of me? What's going on?" He said, dazed. "Josh! Let me get through Adela!" Amanda cried, pushing against Adela.  
He looked at his bleeding arm, two large puncture wounds oozed blood, with a series of smaller ones around it. Another set of holes were on the back of his arm, looking just as bad. He looked at it, completely confused. "Uh, Amanda?" He said, looking to her. But she was busy with Adela, trying to push past her, who wouldn't budge. "Adela! Did you bite me?" He said, a little bewildered.  
"Absol!" She said, not turning around. Amanda finally pushed past her, rushing to Josh. Adela didn't stop her, she still stood over the two, a look of disapproval over Josh. "Let me see your arm." Amanda said, crouched next to him. Josh gave his bleeding arm in her awaiting hands, looking at Adela with disbelief. "She bit me?" He said, looking at Amanda. "She bit me. What the hell did I do to get HER to bite me?" Pain jumped up in his arm, Amanda was grasping it a little too hard. Her eyes looked at him coldly.  
"You tried to hit me." She said bluntly, and switched her gaze back to the wound. "It doesn't look too bad, a super potion ought to do the trick." She paused, then slapped her forehead, "I mean disinfectant. Sorry, old habits die hard." She said. Josh laughed weakly, "Yeah, I always did give you the special treatment. You were always my favorite." He said, smiling. Amanda looked up, beaming at him for a moment. She returned to his bleeding arm,"Well, we don't have any disinfectant, so just hold out your arm for a second." She said, turning serious again.  
Josh did as he was told, and held out his arm. A gentle warmth enclosed his arm, and before his eyes the wound began to close, scabbing over. The scabs shrunk, before peeling off entirely. Underneath it, new pink skin shone. The warmth left, with a slight tingling after sensation. Josh looked up, "How did you do that?" He asked flexing his arm. It was a little sore, but better than infected.  
Amanda smiled, "I just accelerated the time around your arm by about 6 months, letting it heal on it's own. So, your arm is 6 months older than you." Josh gaped, looking at his arm. It looked no different than before, just the new pink spots where the wound had been. "Well, I'm gla- oof!" Before he knew it, her arms were around him, Adela watching carefully.  
"Please don't ever scare me like that again." She said quietly, tears slipping down her cheeks.  
"Hey, hey." He said, putting his arms around her. "What did I do?" (Adela rolled her eyes, totally not buying his act.)  
She leaned back, staring into his eyes. She searched for that horrible anger within him, discovering only traces of it. Even so, it was quickly disappearing. His memory of the entire thing must be dissipating along with it. "You picked up that apple I got from the cruiser, and all of a sudden you got angry. You yelled at me, and tried to hit me." She said, her eyes at the ground. "Hey, don't feel guilty. None of this was your fault. Lets go find that apple, alright?"  
Amanda nodded, getting up. She and Josh looked around for the black apple, parting the tall grass around them, careful not to touch it. "Where did it go?" She said, still looking around for it. "I could've swore it flew ov-" She didn't finish, freezing in mid search. Goosebumps had appeared over her smooth skin, an icy chill ran down her spine. There it was, sitting in a pile of dead grass. It seemed to suck the warmth out of the air, replacing it with dreadful cold. It radiated out a dark purple aura with jets of black swirled in around it. The skin of the fruit was cracked and twisted.  
"Don't go near it." Josh warned, he saw Amanda freeze. He walked over slowly, Adela still distrusted him, but let him go to her. Even she could sense the apple, and it's horrid feeling. She supposed that Amanda's story rang true, but she wasn't taking any chances. She wouldn't allow Josh to harm Amanda, and that went to lengths. She wouldn't hesitate to kill him, god forbid. But if the situation demanded it, she would do it. This lulled through Adela's mind as Josh went to Amanda, his eyes locked on the black apple. The sun was beginning to peek over the forest, the air was warm and moist. Birds sung out their song, insects flew about on their way. In the distance, a huge mountain speared the sky, it's jagged edge standing out in the pink sky. It was covered in greenery, birds flew around it.  
Josh lightly touched Amanda's arm, and she jumped, breaking eye contact with the apple. "Lets just... leave it alone for now." Josh said gently, slowly backing the two of them away from it. "I-I heard voices." Amanda said, "It was calling out to me, tempting me to touch it. How... how did I not notice it before?" She said.  
"You were under it's trance, but you weren't in complete contact with it. You had it in your pocket, remember? It still affected you, but apparently it's a lot worse if you touch it." He said, taking her hand. "I'm sorry I tried to hit you. If it means anything, it wasn't me, it was the-"

She slapped him, his head jerked to the right, his cheek stinging. He slowly turned his head back, "Right, I suppose I-"  
"Oh, shut up" Amanda said, and grabbing the back of his head, she pushed her lips against his, eyes closed. He wrapped his arms around her, Amanda grabbed his pants. Josh backed up, "Whoa Amanda, take it easy now." Amanda only smiled mischievously, her eyes flashed. Josh's brows furrowed, he rubbed his eyes, and looked at Amanda again. He noticed it, her eyes had changed color. Instead of the intense ruby red, they were a completely different color, a light shade of pinkish-purple. "Amanda, your eyes." He said in wonder.  
Amanda only smiled, biting her lip seductively. "What about 'em?" She said sweetly. Even her voice changed, it was high and girly, like an 18 year old. Josh grabbed Amanda's arm, and pulled her away from the black apple. She fell limp in his arms, giggling like a little girl. "Weeee!" She cried, her arms sailing above her. He half-pulled half-dragged her, going back to Adela, away from the apple from hell. But to no avail, the apple didn't seem to be doing anything. It just sat there, looking sinister. Amanda had an arm around Josh, she was leaning on him like a drunk. She was also giggling uncontrollably, like she kept hearing a hilarious joke. Josh put her on the ground, next to Adela. Adela simply stared at Amanda, and sniffed the air. She wrinkled her nose, taking a big step back from Amanda. Josh looked at her weirdly, looking for an answer.  
"Sol." She said, and mimicked taking in a deep breath. Josh didn't understand, he cocked his head, putting his hands up like saying "_What?"  
_"Heehee! She's saying breathe the air!" Amanda perked up, her voice high. She then proceeded to take in big breaths, her nostrils flaring. Josh sniffed around him, and he noticed it, a musky scent was covering Amanda. It radiated out of her in slow, lumbering waves. Josh's mind reacted, his cheeks were colored red and the hair on his arms stood on end.  
Her body's dumping sex hormones, he thought. But why? She's never been like this. Either the apple is somehow controlling her, or... Something else is.

Josh looked to Adela, "Keep an eye on her." Josh said, standing up and walking back to the doorway of the bunker. On the way, he picked up the gun he grabbed from Amanda. It looked ancient, the wooden grips were worn down, the slide was covered in scratches. He pressed the magazine release, only to find the magazine empty. Pulling back the slide, an empty round casing flew out, glinting in the grass. He walked through the doorway, to see Cory chatting with the old man, who had a raw steak over his eye. "Hey, do you have any more rounds for this thing?" Josh asked to the old man, holding the gun up. The man looked up, eyeing the gun. "Yeah, why? You ain't gonna shoot me are ya?" He asked.  
Josh shook his head, "No, I promise we won't hurt you anymore. Amanda just kind of acted out of... Instinct." Josh said, putting the gun down. "Boy, she gave me a good throbbin' one." The man said, adjusting the steak over his eye, slowly getting up. He eyed her outside, along with Adela standing guard, looking around occasionally. The old man disappeared into the corridor he came from, and came back with an equally old box of rounds, the metal rounds jingling inside. "  
Yep, she could be a good boxer." The man said casually, giving the box to Josh. He reached out for it, and the man jerked it back ever so slightly. "Watcha' going to do with it?" He said.  
"I just need a single bullet. Gotta take care of something." Josh said.  
"You seem awfully young to take care of somethin'." The old man said, his good eye looking at him.  
"Yeah, well get in line with the rest." Josh said, taking the ammo box from him. He opened it, taking a dull brass shell from it. He popped it in the chamber, sliding the receiver back into position. He thumbed the safety back, handing the ammo box back to the old man. Before Josh could go, he stuck out his hand, offering it. Josh took it willingly enough, "Name's Sullivan." The old man said, shaking his hand.  
"Josh. I'm sure you've met Amanda and Cory. That's Adela over there." He said, pointing to her.  
"Right, do what you have to do, and give me back me gun. Can't tell you how many times it's saved me." He said, waving him out.

Josh nodded, and turned back, towards Amanda. Adela noticed him with the gun in hand, and stood up cautiously, her eyes alert. But he turned, and walked in the direction where the apple was. He stood a good few feet back, and took the safety off the old pistol. He thumbed back the hammer, and took aim, the barrel pointed towards the apple. It simply stood there, the grass around it yellow with death. He squeezed the trigger, and the gun went off with a huge "_Boom!_", the report echoing for several miles. Everyone except Amanda jumped, birds flew out of trees, squawking. The apple exploded into a million pieces, a dust cloud of black dispersed from it, and disappeared into the air. A large hole was in the ground, where the bullet had dug itself into the ground. The apple chunks had dissolved in the air. Instantly, the air became warm again, what felt like a black murky film around his thoughts slid off. He could think clearly again. He blew the smoking barrel, and tucked it in his pants, the slide warm. He walked to Amanda, only to find she hadn't changed a bit. She was sitting up, a huge grin on her face, her eyes the color of violets. Her cheeks were rosy red. She looked up at him, "Joshy! Come here! I want a hug!" She said, her arms reaching up to grab him. Josh's nose was attacked by that musky scent, she was absolutely covered in it. Adela was standing back even further, a paw over her nose.

Well, it wasn't the apple, Josh thought. What else could it be? Josh mulled it over, a finger caressing his chin, looking at her. She only looked back with a dull expression, her hands still reaching up. He walked around her, observing her. The dark red spike on her chest was throbbing ever so slightly, goosebumps stood out on her arms. Nothing seemed to be wrong, other than she was acting like a fool, and completely covered in hormones.  
But why? Humans do it when they see someone they're attracted to, but not this much. And then again, Amanda isn't exactly human. What about other animals, what do they do?  
All of a sudden he noticed it while looking at her, he had just casually flicked his eyes there, a small wet spot in a certain area. He blushed and slapped his forehead, cursing himself for being so stupid. Adela saw this, her head cocked. "Oh lord... Cory! Get out here!" Josh yelled through his hand, which was still on his face. Cory appeared, and walked to him. He stopped next to Josh, looking at Amanda weirdly. "What's up with her?" He sniffed, and put a hand over his nose. "Cripes, what's that smell?" He waved at the air. Josh turned red.

"Amanda's in heat." He said, his eyes closed and rubbing his temples.  
"Heat? What in the hell does that mean?" Josh looked to him, and sighing, he whispered in his ear. Cory's eyes widened, and he looked at Josh with disbelief. "She's on her...?" Josh nodded.  
"Except, instead of crazy mood swings, she, well... You know." He said, pointing to her. Amanda had caught a poor butterfly in her psychic grip, the little thing struggled desperately as she glided it around, giggling. "Keep your distance from her, she can easily overpower any of us. That includes you Adela." Josh said, looking at her. Adela whined nervously, looking at Amanda with unease. Amanda didn't notice her, she was still playing with the enslaved butterfly. Sullivan had walked up next to them, and was looking at Amanda silently while the two talked. The steak over his eye had disappeared, a black eye left in it's place. He finally spoke up, "That shouldn't be a problem. I have a holdin' cell in the bunker." He said, throwing a thumb over his shoulder. "How long will she be like this?" He asked, and Josh just shrugged. "No idea. This is my first time with this, but my guess would be at least a day."  
Sullivan broke his gaze at Amanda, "Alright, let's get her into the cell."  
Cory and Josh nodded, and they picked up Amanda, who had let the butterfly go, giggling. They carried her to the bunker, and through the dark corridor. Amanda had quieted down, limp in their arms. They descended a flight of concrete steps, and two small cells with concrete beds stood out in the room. A bare light bulb illuminated the room, it gave the room a harsh glare. The bars were old and rusty, no windows were in the room. Sullivan creaked open the cell, and Cory and Josh set her down on the bed. She was fast asleep, breathing normally. Her scent had died down, but they could all smell it, coming out in waves. Josh looked at her, and kissed her forehead. Adela sat at the foot of the stairs, looking at them nervously. She whined in unease as they turned back.  
"You can keep watch if you want to. Try not to get sick from the scent. Let me know when she wakes up." Josh said, patting her head. Adela nuzzled his hand, "Sol." She said, and laid down in front of the bars. Josh looked at the two of them, Adela guarding and Amanda sleeping. He felt love for both of them, and he headed up the stairs, ready for a nap.

(Chapter 11) The Island

Josh was asleep in a bland concrete bedroom, sleeping on a cot. Other cots were around him, all empty. There were no windows in the room, so it peacefully dark. Outside it was morning, three days after they had crashed. Josh fell into bed and had stayed asleep since, no disturbances. He dreamed of the past, the day Amanda had emerged out of the cylinder, completely naked and covered in slime. Josh had ran to her, and that's when he noticed it. Those deep ruby eyes. He had froze, a towel in his hand. They looked at another, and Josh had smiled. Amanda had only looked back with a dazed expression, not knowing who she was. "_Amanda." _Josh had whispered. But she only stared back, their eyes locked. He then broke eye contact and threw the towel over her, covering her up. Her spike was still developing then, it had doubled in size over the course of two weeks. She had been asleep all that time, when she finally woke up she almost screamed, looking down and seeing the spike. Josh had calmed her down, explaining what happened and who she was. When she spoke, she gasped and covered her mouth, surprised by her lovely voice. "_Gard" _She said, trying on the new voice. She tried it at different pitches, from high to low. His dad over his shoulder looking at her with unease, and not only months later he had left the two of them, leaving behind a sack of money. Josh fidgeted in his sleep, those were bad times for him and Amanda.

He dreamed the time Amanda had discovered her powers, she carelessly swept her hand at a bee, and the bee exploded into little bits, along with the shed behind the little bug. She screamed then, and he had ran to her, trying to calm her down. She stayed quiet for the rest of the day, Josh knew she was different, and it bothered her deeply. That was when she had made the connection, the bond between both of them, Amanda could sense Josh's emotions, and with effort she could talk to him through thought. Not that it made any sense to Josh, she still didn't know English then, just her native language. He dreamed of the lessons he had taught her, slowly building her vocabulary. It was weird hearing her talk in broken English, like an American actress who forgot how to speak. Once she learned English, he taught her basic world history, as well as a little bit of science. He smiled in his sleep, remembering when she had dropped a chunk of solid sodium in water, she nearly took half the house down. By then she was finally gaining control over her powers, but every now and then it slipped, most of the time causing a lot of havoc and money. He was dreaming of the recent week with her, before Sullivan shook him, his dream retreating into his mind.  
"Hey sonny, wake up." He felt a hand shaking him, and he opened his eyes, Sullivan looking down on him.  
"Is Amanda awake?" Josh said, getting up slowly.  
"Yup. She seems normal now, not crazy or anything." He said, scratching his head.  
Josh sat up, "Sullivan, I'm pretty sure by now you've noticed Adela and Amanda aren't exactly... Normal."  
Sullivan just laughed, "Yup, they aren't what I'd call normal. But hey, who am I to judge? I've met a lot of people in my years, and I've developed a sense for 'em. You people are good people. I know ya'll wouldn't hurt a fly." He said.  
Josh smiled, and he stood up, stretching. "Thanks Sullivan. I'm glad that at least there's some people in this world that are good." Sullivan didn't respond, he was walking out the door, looking for Cory.

Josh walked down the concrete steps, and into the cell room. The first thing he noticed was that her scent was gone, replaced by the copperish smell of old concrete. Amanda was sitting on the edge of her bed, and she looked up when Josh entered. "The monster has awoken from his slumber!" She said sarcastically, smiling at him. Josh laughed, glad she was back to normal. Another thing he noticed was that her eyes had changed back, they were back to those deep ruby red eyes. "Hey, you ready to get out?" He asked, going for the keys.  
"I would like that. I'm really thirsty." She said, still smiling.  
Josh laughed, picking out the old rusty key on an equally old and rusty key ring. "Well, you have been out of your mind for three days." He said, walking to the iron lock set in the rusty bars. Adela had walked next to him, abandoning her post. Josh rattled the key into the lock, and the cell door creaked open. He put the key ring back in it's place, and held out his hand. Amanda took it, and the three walked back up the stairs. The bunker was empty, Cory and Sullivan were working on getting the downed bomber out of the ground. An ancient tractor was struggling to pick it piece by piece, laying it in an orderly fashion. A new dress for Amanda was laid out before her, Cory had apparently gotten it for her from the plane. Amanda gasped, and hugged it to her chest. Her old one was dirty and tattered, it had numerous holes and a large tear in the rear, showing her back. She looked to Josh, who pointed her to the bedroom to change. She gleefully ran into it, happy to be wearing something new. Josh smiled, Amanda may not be a human girl but she sure does act like one sometimes. He sat on one of the four chairs around an old wooden table, reading a note that was under the dress. Adela sat next to him, nuzzling his hand. She too was filthy, her fur was matted and dusty, big clumps of fur stuck together where the black blood had dried. "You need a bath." Josh said playfully, and Adela froze, her eyes wide. Josh laughed, remembering the last time she had a bath. "Comon, big bad Adela here can't handle a bath?"  
Adela growled, "Sol! Ab, Absol." She said, turning her head away, her head high. Amanda walked back out, her old dress in her arms. She was happy again, her bare feet slapping on the equally bare concrete. Josh stood up, "Don't get used to it yet. We're walking to the lake nearby." Josh held up a note on the table. "What for?" She asked, her hands protectively around her new dress. Josh simply pointed to Adela, who didn't like what was developing.  
"Well, lets go." Amanda said, walking out the doorway. Josh followed, Adela with her head low, waiting for the impending doom.

Cory and Sullivan had finally gotten the left wing out of the ground, and they were working on #4 engine, the cowlings off, exposing the guts of the engine. The huge bent propeller lay near it, it's tips yellow. Cory and Sullivan leaned over the engine, wrenching on the burnt-out oil cooler. This engine was nearly fried, if it weren't for them crashing it would've run itself into the ground, (No pun intended) and then they would be in trouble. The damage wasn't as bad as it seemed, but they did need new parts, and both of them had no idea where to get them. While they were working on the engine, Josh and friends were walking into the forest, an old dirt-beaten path winding into the expanse of trees. Josh and Amanda were in front, Adela trying to stay behind.  
"So, do you remember anything that happened?" Josh asked while they walked. Amanda thought for a second, then shook her head. "No, not at all. Did I do anything crazy?" She asked, looking around. Even Adela was caught in the beauty of it, she had never been in a forest. Beams of sunlight dappled through the trees, creating golden bars of light. Birds flitted about, chirping. A steady hum of insects filled the air. It faded away, then came back again.  
"Well, you did try to... Er, seduce me." He said, rubbing the back of his head, cheeks red. Amanda's eyes grew wide, she blushed. "Oh... Well." She cleared her throat, all of a sudden it was a little hard to breath. "Well, you know I was under the influence of something else."

"Yeah, of course." Josh said, looking away. The three of them walked the rest of the way in silence, Adela looking around, sometimes trying to grab a bird that got too close. Finally, the trees cleared, and beyond them a silent lake expanded into the open. It was at least a mile long and wide, wild grass grew all around them. A tree grew over the surface of the lake nearby, a rotting tire and rope swung in the breeze.  
"Don't try out the tire swing." Josh said, and right as he said this Adela leaped over them, and right into the hole of the tire with a little "_Phoosh". _The rope snapped from her weight, and she was thrown into the lake, laughing wildly. Amanda laughed, and took off into the lake with her new dress still on, and rocketed into the sky, using Levitation. She dropped into the water over 300 feet away, a big splash accompanied. Adela's head popped up in the water, along with floating bits of tire and rope. She swam to the shore and stepped out, her fur back to it's brilliant white glow, dripping wet. Hair was over her eyes, but she had a big smile on her face. Josh crossed his arms, smiling. Amanda's head popped over the water, waving Josh in. "Comon! The waters warm!" She cried, her head a small speck. Josh already had his shirt off, and just as he jumped into the water, he was stopped in mid-air, a blue bubble forming around him. "Amanda!" He yelled, banging on the walls. He could see her, a huge grin on her face, and her hand reaching out. He flew into the air, the treetops rushing towards him. The bubble disappeared, and he dropped like a stone, arms flailing. He crashed into the water, a huge pillar of water around him. He hit the sandy bottom, and pushed upwards. He resurfaced, gasping for air, coughing. "Absol!" Adela cried, on the shore. A similar bubble had appeared around her, and she took off into the sky. She went past where Josh had dropped, and disappeared into the trees. A few moments of silence, and Adela crashed through, her front paws in front of her. She dove into the water, about a graceful as an Elephant. Josh laughed out loud, swimming back to the shore. "Amanda, grab me!" Josh yelled, and the bubble appeared around him again.  
"Don't toss me into the air, instead throw me across the water!" He yelled.  
Amanda cupped her one non-busy arm around her mouth, "Are you sure?" She yelled back. Josh gave her a thumbs up, "Don't do it too hard, and on my signal," He raised his hand, and brought it down, "Let go!" Amanda nodded, and she waved her hand back. Josh slid back a few feet, and everything blurred as he rapidly gained speed, skimming across the surface of the water. He blew past Adela, a mini tidal wave in his wake. Josh raised his hand and brought it down, his feet in front of him. The bubble disappeared, and he dropped about an inch into the water, skiing across the water with his feet, arms out for balance. The nearly flat surface of the lake provided an excellent surface, and he slowly sunk down into the water as he decreased speed. He sunk, near Amanda. He smiled underwater, diving deep and going for her feet. As soon as he got close, she disappeared, flying into the air, her figure disoriented in the water. The force of her jump pushed down on the water, Josh right underneath it. He was thrown to the bottom, Amanda flying into the air. Her figure got bigger as gravity took hold, and she plummeted into the water. A grin on her face, she grabbed Josh and the two soared upwards again, going for the wall of branches over the lake. Josh reached out and grabbed a branch, pulling himself up. Amanda clung to him, trying not to fall. They finally came to rest on a sturdy branch, about 100 feet in the air over the lake. They had a birds-eye view of the area around them. The lake dominated most of it, but to their right the forest cleared, a hilly pasture loomed in the horizon. They could see the mountain, covered in bushy trees. The sun reflected molten gold off the lake, covering everything in it. Adela had laid down near the shore, in a beam of sunlight, drying off. As far as Josh could tell, she had gotten all of the blood off her fur. Her coat was back to it's original gleam, standing out brightly.  
"What a view." Amanda gasped, her arms around Josh. He smiled, and pointed to the mountain. "We could get an even better view up there." He said.  
"Yeah, but could we ever get up there?" She asked.  
"There's a path leading all the way to the peak of the mountain. See that little gap in the trees over there?" He said, pointing to it. She could barely see it, just a tiny little hole in the wall of green that covered the mountain.  
"There's a clearing on the other side. Sullivan said it's the best view in the world."  
"We should go there!" Amanda exclaimed, already getting up. Josh put a hand on her shoulder, "Not right now. We have to fix the plane first."  
Amanda crossed her arms across her chest, her lower lip sticking out. "Awww comon! Just this one time." She pleaded.  
Josh shook his head, "Not yet. But later."  
"Fine." She said, and jumped off the branch, gliding to the shore. Josh threw his arms up, "Hey! What about me?" He shouted. He knew she wouldn't respond, and he could practically see the smirk on her lips. Josh sighed, and jumped off the branch, diving into the water below. He swam to the shore, Amanda and Adela waiting. They dried off, and headed back into the forest.

Cory and Sullivan were still working on the engine when the three walked out of the forest, this time they had stripped it down even further. The headers for the right side of the engine were off, exposing the six huge pistons. Out of the six pistons, three were completely black, Sullivan and Cory were working on taking them out, keen on replacing them. Cory waved Amanda over, his hand was black with oil. She glided over to him, "Do you need anything?" She asked, looking at the stripped down engine. "You're insanely smart, right?" He asked, wiping his hands on an already dirty rag. Amanda nodded, "I'd like to think so" She said, a little pridefully.  
"Right, well can you make this a little easier for us?" He said, pointing to the engine.  
"I'll see what I can do." She said, closing her eyes. She reached out, and she visualized the engine, and it's components. Instantly, she learned what was wrong, what was broken and needed replacement. "Well, it seems that the oil cooler has gone out in flight, the engine nearly burned itself out. Piston 3,4,8, and 12 are gone."  
With that, she reached out, and the engine deconstructed itself, the mentioned pistons separating from the engine. They floated in mid air, away from the engine, which was dully glowing blue and floating.  
"Also, the supercharger isn't going last very long."  
The supercharger, a big bulking mass of iron, detached itself from the rear of the engine, floating in mid air along with the burnt-out pistons. She peeked open a ruby eye, "Or do you want to keep it on?"  
Cory shook his head, "No, we'll have to make do without one."  
Amanda nodded and closed her eye, looking for any other problems. "That seems to be it." She said, opening her eyes, her hands going back to her side. The engine gently touched the ground, automatically reconstructing itself without the bad parts. Sullivan only stared with mild wonder, he pointed to the other engines, which were still attached to the wings. "Can you do that with the other ones?" He asked roughly, "It would make our job a hell of a lot easier."  
Amanda nodded, and again closed her eyes. All three engines glowed blue, and detached neatly from their place on the wings, floating to her. This time, all three of them deconstructed themselves to nothing but bolts, Cory and Sullivan looking with jaws open. Everything was taken apart, the fluids in a bubble and categorized neatly. Even mixed fluids were separated, nothing was missed. Amanda strained a little as she searched for any problems, and finally the engines went back to a whole, not a single bolt or screw remaining. "There's nothing wrong with these engines, other than ordinary problems. They seem to have no reason to have stopped working." She said, setting the engines down. "Well, you just saved about a week's worth of work." Sullivan said, resting a hand on an engine. The chrome headers on each engine twinkled in the dying sunlight.  
Cory perked up, "We can't get in the air with 3 engines. Amanda, could these pistons be saved?" He picked up an enormous blackened piston, it was the size of a dinner plate.  
Amanda shook her head, "I could, but it would make them smaller. There'd be a lot of power loss and torque problems. They would probably break loose in operation and ruin the entire engine."  
Cory rested his head on his chin, looking at the piston. He looked up at her, "We're missing four pistons, right?"  
"Right."  
"Could we rearrange the remaining ones into a V8, instead of a V12?"  
Amanda thought for a second, "Yeah, that could work. But the other three would have to compensate for that power loss, the plane won't be near as powerful as it once was." She pointed out.  
Cory only shook his head, "Doesn't matter. As long as we can get into the air, we'll be fine."  
"Alright." Amanda said reluctantly, the #4 engine floated back into the air. She did this with her eyes open, it wasn't much work for her. The engine was stripped down, the remaining 8 pistons were rearranged, the spark plugs for the missing 4 pistons taken out. Once done, it built itself back together, and lay as a whole on the ground. "Alright, fire it." Sullivan said, now sitting on a chair in the grass. Amanda flicked her finger, and the starter automatically responding. It spun up, slowly gaining momentum. Soon after it rose in pitch, and stopped at a set RPM. Amanda flicked her finger again, and the starter connected to a gear, whining from the strain. The engine turned over, and fired up on the first try, black smoke roaring out of four of the six exhaust pipes on each side.  
It idled rough, trying to die. Each time it did, a plume of smoke blasted into the air from the pipes, the engine rocking in the grass, trying to keep itself alive.  
"It needs adjustment!" Cory shouted over the engine. "We'll take it from here! We'll be up in the air again by tomorrow!" Amanda waved to him, and walked to the cabin, Josh walking next to her. "I didn't know you were a gearhead." He said, smiling.

Amanda laughed, "Yeah well there's a lot of things you don't know about me." She said, looking at him.  
He only looked back, a little unsettled by what she said. He tried to hide it, he wouldn't let her know that she scared him a little. The two walked into the bunker, the roaring engine behind them. Adela was in the makeshift kitchen, digging in the fridge. She was on on her hind legs, trying to grab a whole chicken on a plate. Josh walked over, and tore a leg from it and gave it to her. She took it, dropping back on all fours and walking under the big table, chewing on the cold meat. Josh took a mango from the fridge, throwing it to Amanda. She caught it, sitting down on the chairs, and began to peel back the skin, exposing the sweet fruit. Josh made a sandwich with a chunk of breast, and flopped down next to Amanda. "So," she said through a mouthful of mango, "Why did the whole heat thing just appear that suddenly?" She asked.  
"That apple must have been blocking your normal body functions. Once you had it away from you, it came back in full force. It just so happens you were in heat at that time." He took a big bite out of his sandwich.  
Amanda swallowed, "Normal body functions huh?" She said casually. Josh nodded, continued on eating.  
"Well, you've been away for quite a while. A body has to run it's course." She said, eyeing him. Josh stopped chewing, looking at her. He swallowed nervously, "Is this headed where I think this is headed?"  
Amanda was up, grabbed his shoulders, running her hands down his chest. She stopped right below his midriff, Josh turned red.  
She whispered in his ear, "What do you think?"  
Josh grabbed her arms, standing up and whirling around, so that his eyes bore into hers. He breathed out a sigh of relief when they weren't purple.  
"Okay, this is normal you. Not crazy in-heat you."  
Amanda laughed, "Comon Josh, trust me."  
She led his hands around her, clasping them around her back, her face right next to his.  
And then the door burst open, Sullivan and Cory covered in sweat and grease walking in. They stopped, staring at Josh and Amanda. Cory slowly put his thumb over his shoulder, "Are... Erm, are we interrupting something?" Instantly, Amanda stepped away from Josh, his hands going back to his sides. She put a hand behind her head, her cheeks burning. "No! No, not at all."

Sullivan only grunted, "Young love. Never understood it." He walked past Cory, and took out the chicken in the fridge. He practically dropped it onto the table, "Dinner's ready." He grunted, and walked out of the room, headed for the shower. They heard the shower turn on, and the wooden door slam shut. "Jeez, what's with him?" Josh said, desperately trying to change the subject. Adela was still under the table, chewing on the bone in between her paws. She chose to ignore the two when it came to things like this, she knew that Josh loved Adela, but with he loved Amanda differently. She knew that she would always be second, and she accepted this. She was too smart for petty things like jealousy, so she simply ignored it. No harm done.  
"Beats me. I guess he doesn't approve of your choice of..." He flicked his eyes to Amanda, "Women?" He said, trying to be as gentle as possible.  
Even so, Amanda felt a pang of anger for the old man. Who was he to judge? He knew nothing about them, the things they've been through. Even Josh felt it, it seemed unfair in his mind. Sullivan had been nice towards them, given them a place to stay, had said nothing until now about Amanda and Josh. If anything he had a _right_ if he felt weird about it, because in all respects it _was _weird. Humans love humans, not humanoids created from a test tube. But another side of him insisted that it was right, Amanda was just as human as him. She may not look like one, but she sure did act like one, she feels emotions like a human. Isn't that proof enough? Josh shook his head. No that isn't enough proof, and while he rejected that it was, he knew that deep inside Amanda would never truly be a human being. But he chose to ignore this, as Adela ignored the relationship between him and Amanda.  
"Well, it's understandable." Josh simply said.  
And with that, he went to bed, shutting the door behind him. Cory shrugged, and sat down on the table, carving out a chunk of breast. He offered a slice to Amanda, who refused. On the other hand, Adela jumped up from under the table, grabbing the meat from his hand, gobbling it up in seconds. She took her bone and ran off, knowing she could no longer be trusted. Cory laughed weakly, and resumed his meal. A blanket of grayness had covered the kitchen, it affected everyone. Outside, the sun was setting everything with a reflective surface on fire, dipping everything else in an auburn gold. But Amanda closed the door, cutting off the lovely view. She walked into the bedroom, and sat on the foot of the bed, next to Josh. She set a hand on him, "What's wrong?" She said gently. It resembled the voice of a worried mother, when her child had a scraped knee but refused to speak about it.  
With a sigh he sat up, the blankets piling at his midriff. "Amanda is this normal? The relationship between me and you?" He said suddenly.  
Amanda was a bit surprised, she expected him of all people to have solid faith between the two of them. "I... Suppose not." She said quietly.  
"Then... Why are we doing this?"  
"Because you love me, right?"  
"Of course I do. But it gets to me sometimes. Remember what you said on the plane?"  
"Josh. I wasn't right. I was under the influence of the apple... Thing."  
"That's not the point. Just why on Earth did I create you in the first place?"  
"Why does it matter? You created me, that's that. Let the past be the past."  
"I can't! I had my doubts when I was building the machinery, I half expected it to fail. But when you came out of there, God I knew the second I had laid eyes on you I was in love. I was in love... but it's a wrong love." He hung his head low. Amanda hugged him, "I don't care what kind of love it is. I love you, and you love me. That's all that counts." She said over his shoulder.  
He hugged her back, pressing her to him. "I know. I just... It gets to me."  
Amanda pressed him back to the bed, her on top of him. She leaned in close,"Well, let me make you forget you had any doubts." She said, a smirk playing on her lips.  
But Josh turned away, "No, not tonight. I just want to sleep."  
Amanda sighed in exasperation, and rolled off the bed. "Fine. Be a killjoy." She walked to her cot, and dropped into it in frustration. They heard Sullivan step out the shower, and go into the kitchen. Casual conversation drifted from the table. Adela had even joined in, a casual "Sol" from her every now and then. Not that they could understand her, but at least it let them know she understood them. Soon enough, the bedroom door opened, and Cory and Sullivan went into their beds. Adela walked inside, her claws clicking on the concrete. She jumped up, and curled up at the foot of Josh's bed. The sun set over the horizon, and slowly night began to take over. Soon enough everyone was asleep, owls hooted every now and then.

(Chapter 12) The Mountain

Josh woke up from movement in his bed, Amanda slipped in next to him. It was midnight, he heard crickets chirping in the grass. He felt her hand slide over his waist, her breath light in his ears. Josh put his hand over hers, and he felt her smile. He smiled in return, "I'd hope you come by." He whispered.  
"I couldn't stand another lonely night." She whispered back, and fell silent. They slipped into sleep together, Amanda curled up next to him.

Josh opened his eyes to the sound of engines roaring, he could smell the faint traces of exhaust. He slipped out of bed, Amanda still asleep. Adela was gone too, she must be with the others. He walked out of the bunker to see all four engines running, rumbling in place. It was around morning, the sun was up, but not too high. A strong breeze blew his dark brown hair in his face, the trees swayed to the wind. He walked up to Cory, who was standing back and listening to them run. #4 engine sounded very out-of-place, it idled at a faster RPM than the others, and generally sounded weaker than the other three. Nevertheless, it looked and sounded healthy, idling in place. The propellers weren't connected, they were still bent out of shape. Sullivan was currently working on one, hammering one of the propeller blades. "Morning Josh." Cory said, clapping him on the shoulder.  
"We're almost done. Get some clothes on, and wake up Amanda. We've got work to do." He said, turning back around and shutting off the engines. They died one by one, with a shudder. Josh walked back, and entered the bunker. There he saw Adela, back in her spot under the table, chewing on what remains of the chicken bone. Josh smiled, and walked back into the dark bedroom. He looked around, Amanda wasn't in the room. The blankets were ruffled around from when she got up. Her new dress lay in a heap on the floor.  
"Amanda?" He said with a confused look, turning around. As he turned around, her head poked around from the corner that led into the bathroom. Her cheeks were red.  
"Josh!" She said in a hushed voice. He looked at her, seeing her cheeks. "Let me guess, you need your clothes."  
Her cheeks turned as red as her eyes. "Well, yes... But I need your help with something." She said, her eyes darting to the ground.  
"What is it?"  
"Erm... Well you see, I found this old bra... But I have no idea how to..."  
Josh's cheeks burned, "Oh. Oh, well..." He rubbed the back of his head, "I'll erm, try to help you out."  
She nodded, and her head disappeared around the corner. Josh picked up her dress, and walked to her. He walked around the corner, to see Amanda with an old-looking black bra around her chest. Thankfully she had a towel around her, her hair was damp from a shower. Her hands were around her chest, keeping the bra up. "Right, what's the problem?" He asked.  
Amanda turned around, revealing a little clasp that hooks two straps together.  
"I can't get it on." She said over her shoulder.  
Josh shook his head, "The most powerful being the world has seen, capable of tearing ships in half, can't even put on a bra." He said with a smirk. Amanda's eyes flashed over her shoulder, "Don't push it." She warned.  
Josh laughed and walked over to her, and looked at the little mechanism. It had several notches, for different sizes. He put it to a comfortable notch, and hooked them together. "Alright, try that." He said. Amanda dropped her hands, and the bra fell to the ground. Amanda gasped, covering her chest. Josh turned red, and snatched the bra, putting it back on. He put it on a much tighter notch, and this time it held. She turned around, trying it out. "It feels weird." She said, tugging at the support strap on her shoulder. "What do you think?"  
"Were'd you get that old thing? It looks like it could snap any moment." Josh said, his arms crossed. He wasn't wrong, the thing had multiple holes in it where her skin pale stood out.  
"I found it where the I found the towel."  
"Amanda, I think you should take it off." He paused a moment, then realized what he said. He slapped his forehead. Amanda laughed, "My my Josh, where's this side come from?" She said with a smirk.  
"You know what I mean. Just take it off, and put on your regular clothes. We have work to do." He said, pushing her dress in her hands. He walked out of the bedroom, Adela still chewing on her bone. Cory was waiting in the kitchen, sweat already on his skin. "She'll be out in a second." Josh said. With the engines dead, they only heard Sullivan banging on the propellers, stopping every now and then, and continuing. Amanda finally walked out, the bra evident under her dress. Cory turned red, turning to Josh, who was shaking his head. Amanda only smiled rebelliously back. "Why is she wearing a bra?" Cory asked.  
"Don't ask me, she found the damn thing." Josh said, heading out of the doorway. He waved for Amanda to follow, who glided next to him. Cory walked out behind them, trying not to look.

Sullivan looked up from his work, putting the hammer down, a smile on his face. "Ah, Amanda! Just the person we need! Listen I need you to-" He stopped, his eyes frozen at the black bra around her chest.  
"Where'd you get that?" His voice had dropped down, barely audible.  
"I... Er, found it when I was looking for a towel."  
"Take it off. Amanda, take it off now." He said, his voice dead serious. Amanda's arms crossed protectively around her chest, "Right now? I me-"  
"YOU KNOW DAMN WELL WHAT I MEAN! NOW GO AND TAKE IT OFF!" Sullivan roared. All three flinched back, not expecting this sudden outburst. Amanda turned and fled into the bunker, the heavy door slamming shut. Sullivan too took off, pushing past the two of them, briskly walking down the dirt path into the forest. Josh and Cory watched him as he disappeared into the confines of the forest in bewilderment.

They had never seen him so upset. But then again, they never really knew him. Josh left Cory, and hurried into the bunker. Adela was gone from her spot, Josh walked into the bedroom. Amanda was on his bed, her dress on and the bra laying on the bed next to her. She was whispering to Adela, who sat at her feet. Adela looked at Amanda sympathetically, nodding every now and then. Josh sat next to Amanda, putting an arm around her. "Hey, you alright?"  
She nodded slowly, "Yeah. I knew it was a bad idea." Her eyes flicked to the black bra, she looked at it with a mix of guilt and disgust.  
"Look, it wasn't your fault." He said, Adela agreed with a soft "Sol".  
"How about we all go to the top of that mountain? Let things cool down."  
Amanda thought for a second, then nodded. "Okay." She said quietly, and they both stood up. Josh still had his arm around her, Adela walked behind them. They walked out of the bunker, Cory had resumed his work, trying to forget what happened. He was bolting the first engine into place on the right wing, the bomber now standing on it's landing gear. Josh walked up to Cory, who was about 10 feet in the air. The enormous engine lay above him, connected to a big rusty chainfall.  
"Hey, we're going to go up into the mountains for a couple of hours. Do you mind?" Cory shook his head, "Not a problem. Go on ahead, I'll finish up here." He resumed his work. The three of them left Cory to his work, going in the direction where the apple had been sitting. Everything had died in the general area of where it had been, Josh had a good guess nothing ever would grow there. As they walked, his mind pondered about how such a thing could be made, and how it affected the mind. He was interrupted by his thoughts, Amanda had stopped. She stood there, mouth open. Josh looked where she was looking, and saw it. He was in such deep thought he never noticed it. Even Adela looked at it with wonder. Before them, lay an open field, covered in violets. Every square inch of grass had at least a dozen of them growing in it, the field almost seemed purple. In the background, the mountain spiraled into the heavens, it's jagged edges cutting the sky. "Wow." Amanda gasped in awe.  
"Beautiful ain't it?"  
Josh turned around, Sullivan was behind them, leaning on a tree at the edge of the forest, where it ended and the field started.  
"They say that the reason these violets grow here is because of the mountain. We were sent here to research about it, why these violets are here. I was here my entire life, and ain't found a single thing, except that the mountain exhibits a sort of molecular energy, a kind that violets respond to. It makes them real easy to reproduce, and they get bigger. I don't know how. Probably never will."  
"We?" Josh said, his eyebrows raised.  
"Me... Me and my wife. Marie, her name was." Sullivan said, his head down.  
"We had a kid together here, but when Marie died... I-" His voice cracked. He wiped his eyes, "I don't know. She left me, I never saw her again. She said this place was cursed, that those violets are the souls of the people who died here."  
"What was her name?" Amanda asked, turning around and momentarily forgetting the view.

"Carrie. She was beautiful. Real tall and skinny, like you dear. Rich chocolate hair, and a smile that could light up the world." He said, tears in his eyes. "I'm so sorry Amanda, I didn't mean to yell at you. That thing was Carrie's, and when I saw it on you... It hurt."  
Amanda nodded, "You don't need to apologize. I shouldn't of taken it in the first place."  
"Just... Be careful when you go up there. Been hearin' some mountain lions lately." He said. All three nodded, and Sullivan turned around, headed back to work with Cory. Amanda turned to Josh with a quizzical expression, "Mountain lions?"  
Josh laughed, "Basically a really big cat."  
Amanda tried to imagine it, and couldn't.  
"Look, don't worry about it. We can easily defend ourselves."  
Amanda shrugged, and glided through the violets that were swaying gently in the breeze. Looking at them again, he felt a shiver run down his spine. After what Sullivan said, they took on a new look. They almost seemed to gape at them, the petals twisted outwards, like the mouth of a screaming human. "Stop being a baby." He told himself, and started through the field, following Amanda. He tried his best to avoid looking at the flowers, which seemed to stare at them as he passed. She and Adela had already gained some distance, Amanda looking over her shoulder every now and then. They began to walk towards the mountain, and Josh couldn't get what Sullivan had said about the violets.

They passed the field, and reentered the forest. Instead of the big Oaks and Alders lining the path to the lake, they found themselves in a forest of Pine trees, and Evergreens. The ground was littered with pine needles, the air heavy with the pine scent. It was relaxing, everyone was in a good mood. The mountain loomed closer, and soon enough they were walking uphill. The air was crisp and clean, everyone's senses were heightened. Adela especially enjoyed it, looking at every minute detail with wonder. She felt great, she could hear and see everything to the smallest degree. So when Adela stopped, her eyes alert, they knew something was wrong. Her ears, hidden under her coat, flexed, straining to hear. Josh stopped behind her, she was in the front. "Something's coming." Amanda whispered, she felt it too. Josh looked around, he couldn't hear or see anything.  
Adela's head jerked to her left, "Sol!" She yelped, jumping out of the way. Just a second later, a huge four-legged creature pounced where she just had been, teeth bared and claws out. "Hey! Stop where you are!" Josh yelled at the figure.  
It turned it's head, dark brown eyes glaring. Josh's eyes widened, it was a freaking lion. An actual female lion, twice the size as Adela. It was crouched low, growling lowly. Her tail twitched, a little tuft of brown hair at the end. She took a step towards Josh, then stopped, her ears twitching. Before she could move out the way, Adela rammed the lion with her shoulder. The lion was thrown into a tree, yelling out in pain. The entire tree shook, pine needles scattered down.  
"Hey!" A voice yelled. All three turned to the origin of the voice. The person jumped down from a tree, previously hidden from sight. The person hit the ground, a little drift of dust billowing up around her. Josh turned to Amanda, who nodded.  
"Alright, that's enough!" The person stood up, headed for the lion.  
"Quit-Whoa!" The person floated in the air, their figure outlined in blue. Amanda turned the person around so Josh could see who it was. "Hey! What's the big idea?!" The voice revealed she was female, and young too. She was very tanned, with dark brown hair flowing down her shoulders. Emerald eyes flashed fire in the afternoon light. She was wearing a black button-up shirt, with multiple pockets. Her shirt was open quite a bit, showing a lot of cleavage. In one hand clutched a nasty-looking knife, probably meant for Adela.  
"Oh, you're the one outraged? You sent a freaking lion after us!" Josh yelled. Adela had one paw at the lions neck, and the lion stayed where she was, glaring at Adela. Adela stared back, her fangs exposed.  
"Hey! It's not my fault I was looking for food! It just so happened that Bailey here decided to take a chomp at your... Thing!" She cried, struggling against Amanda's grip. "Now let me go! Whatever your doing, let me go!"  
"Not until I get some answers. Who are you?"  
"None of your damn business!"  
"What are you doing on this island? How can we know you're not one of Aguire's goons?"  
"Who the hell is Aguire? I was just hunting for some damn food!"  
"Who the hell hunts with a damn lion?!" Josh cried, throwing his hands up.  
"I do! Let me go!"  
"Josh." He turned to Amanda, who was looking at him gently. "Lets just go. I thought this was supposed to let things cool off."  
"Whoa! You can talk?!" The girl cried, staring at Amanda with wonder. Amanda smiled, and released her, who thumped back to the ground. She jumped up and ran to Amanda, studying her closely. She sniffed her, poked her, lifting her arms. "How did you do that floating thing?" The girl asked, stepping back.  
Amanda put a finger to her temple, and the girl nodded, understanding. "Interesting.." She mumbled under her breath. Josh turned to Adela, waving to her. She took a step back, taking her paw off Bailey's neck. Bailey got up slowly, and lumbered to the girl, who scratched her head.  
"And you!" The girl said with wonder, looking at Adela. She snarled, and the girl snarled back. Adela stopped, looking at her weirdly. The girl ran to Adela, examining her closely. Adela closed her eyes, annoyed. She growled lightly when the girl touched her tail or horn, but stayed quiet. Finally she went to Josh. She took a good look at him, and slapped him across the face. Josh turned his head slowly back, his face carefully set. "Hello to you too." He said. Amanda stifled laughter.  
"Don't restrict me ever again! I'll carve out your face!" She yelled in his face, waving the knife at him.  
Big mistake, Josh thought. Josh grabbed the knife from her hand, and twisted her arm around her back. The knife flew from her grip, and Josh held her from behind. "Now, I advise you realize who you're talking to here." He said coldly. Fear trickled into the girls eyes. The lion jumped up, ready to pounce. Adela blocked her off, snarling.  
"I'll ask again. Who are you?" Josh said into her ear.  
"Carrie! My name is Carrie!"  
Josh was momentarily surprised, "As in Sullivan's daughter?" Carrie nodded vigorously, and Josh let her go. She stumbled forwards, rubbing her tanned arm. He studied her, she looked just about the same age as him. He shook his head, dismissing the entire thing. He didn't know why she was here, but most of all he didn't care. "Comon. Lets go." He said to Amanda and Adela, and started forwards, leaving Carrie and her lion behind. Amanda caught up to Josh, "We're just going to leave her?" She said, a little bewildered. Josh kept his head forward, "Of course not. I know her type, she can't resist adventure. She'll stay behind us or something."

They walked for a total of 30 seconds, before Carrie got to them.  
"Wait up!" Carrie cried, running to catch them. "Told you." Josh said with a smirk, stopping.

"You can't just leave me!" She said as she ran up to them. Bailey didn't bother to run, she was still back a bit, walking lazily to them.  
"Oh, and why not? You seem to be doing fine on your own." Josh said, crossing his arms.  
"Yeah, but not after all that! You coulda' raped me or something! But no, you just left me alone? Where's the fun in that?"  
Josh turned slightly red, "Are you insane or something? Not everything has to be a wild battle."  
"It could if it wanted to be! It's boring here! How about a battle?"  
"No. This was supposed to be relaxing. We've been through a lot." Josh said, shaking his head. Amanda put a hand on his shoulder, a smile playing on her lips. "Comon, what's the harm in it?"  
Josh sighed, he couldn't say no to her. "Fine. We'll "battle." He said, annoyed.  
"Yes!" Carrie yelled, her hand pumping the air. Josh faced her, with Amanda on the side. Carrie turned serious, her hands curled into balls. "Alright, um. On my mark." Amanda help up her hand, "One, two," She brought her hand down, "Three!" Carrie screamed into action, jumping at Josh, her arms swinging. Josh smiled, and jumped to the side, easily missing the attack. Carrie flew past him, and Josh grabbed her from behind, throwing her to the ground. She went down, and Josh pinned her arms and legs. She struggled, "All right! I give!" She said, and Josh let go of her. "Now if you're done being stupid, we ha-" The second he let her go, she kicked her boot up, bringing it down on his shins. Josh cried out in surprise and pain, clutching his ankle. "What the hell was that for?!" He yelled at her, who was getting up calmly. She brushed off dust, "You grabbed my boob."  
Josh scoffed, still holding his swelling ankle. "No I didn't! All I did was pin you down!"  
"Yeah, and a great excuse to get your hands dirty. Pervert!" She turned around, only to bump into Amanda, who was staring at her coldly. Carrie stumbled backwards, she wasn't expecting her to be in her face.  
"_Apologize._" Amanda said quietly, her words dripping with venom. Carrie practically jumped around, "Okay, okay, I'm sorry! Now please call off your alien girlfriend!" She said. Her expression said otherwise, but Josh accepted it anyway. He put his foot down, wincing a little. "Amanda, could you?"  
She nodded, and backed away. Josh turned to Carrie, "And as for you, we're not boyfriend and girlfriend."  
"And I'm not an alien." Amanda added.  
But she only flapped her arms, "I see the way you look at another, you're obviously in love with her. I don't care, your choice of women." Josh sighed, walking past her. "I don't have time for this. We're done here, so lets just go." Josh said to Amanda, who nodded in agreement. Adela stood up from her spot, and walked beside them. "Hold on!" They heard Carrie, and she ran up next to Josh. "If she's not an alien, then what is she?" Carrie asked, looking at Amanda closely.  
"Why do you care? I thought you were looking for food."  
"Yeah, that was a lie."  
"How surprising."  
"What's your name?"  
"Josh. That's Amanda, and Adela." He said, pointing to two of them. Amanda smiled back, with a little wave.  
"What is Amanda? Is she a robot? A new form of animal on Earth?"  
"Do you really want to know?" Josh asked, crossing his arms again. Up ahead, the path split into two. They stopped at the split, Josh looking at Carrie.  
"Yes! Tell me!"  
"Fine, she's a pokemon. And so is Adela." He said, annoyed.  
Carrie stared back, puzzled. "A what?"  
"A pokemon."  
"What the hell is that?" She said, clueless.  
Josh sighed in frustration, his head in his palm. "Basically, she's neither human nor alien. That's all you need to know. End of story." With that, he turned left, to the path marked "Mountain Peak" in painted black letters.  
"How long have y'all been together?" She asked.  
"What do you mean by that?"  
"I mean as in how long have y'all been boyfriend and girlfriend?"  
"For the last time, we aren't "dating"!  
But Carrie only laughed, enjoying getting on his nerves. "Well, if you two aren't dating, then I guess I can do this." She said slyly.  
Josh looked at her funny, and before he knew it she had taken his hand, and stuck it down her pants.

Amanda practically breathed fire, she grabbed Josh and jerked him backwards, his hand flying out. Carrie burst out laughing, doubling over on the ground. Josh was still trying to understand what happened. Adela looked at them with curiosity, she didn't see what happened. Amanda, on the other hand, picked up Carrie by her shirt, her face next to Carrie's. "Do that again, and I'll rip you to shreds!" She yelled at her, and dropped her on the ground. She stormed off, her cheeks burning. Carrie slowly got up, clutching her belly. "Amanda, wait! I'm sorry! It was a joke!" She said, a giggle escaping every now and then. "Are you deliberately trying to get yourself killed?" A voice spoke up. Josh and Adela turned to the sound of the voice, Carrie sighing in annoyance. But Josh and Adela only saw Bailey, who was slowly walking towards them.  
"Comon, where's your sense of humor?" Carrie said, apparently directed to the lion.  
"One, that wasn't funny. Two, you knew how Amanda was going to react. Three, That still wasn't funny." The voice came from Bailey, her mouth forming the words. Josh's jaw dropped, Adela just stared at her with wonder. "She-she can talk?" Josh said, pointing at the lion. Carrie looked at him with a mischievous smile, her emerald eyes flashing.  
"Yeah, I forgot to mention that."  
"Sorry about attacking you and stuff, it was Carrie's idea." Bailey said, sitting next to Carrie. Above her the trees rustled in the wind, pine needles floating down. Adela noticed it, Bailey's mouth didn't quite sync perfectly with the words. She saw a figure dart above Carrie, in the trees. "Sol!" She jumped up, pointing to the trees with a paw.  
"What, what is it?" Josh said, noting her expression. She again pointed to the trees. "I don't see anything, just trees." He said, his eyes looking for any movement.  
"Yeah, must be a bird or something." Carrie said casually, opening one of her many pockets and pulling out, of all things, a baked potato. Adela gasped in frustration, and took on her battle stance. Her fur crackled with electricity, and with huge boom, a streak of lightning soared into the sky. Carrie and Bailey saw it fly into the atmosphere, and dissipate. She laughed, "What was that? You gonna give the sky some electr-" The lightning bolt rearranged itself, and crashed into the trees behind Carrie. A shock wave shook the earth, branches flung all around them. A figure too was flung out from it's spot, crashing onto the hard packed dirt in between Carrie and Josh. All jaws dropped this time, for it was Adela. Er, well _another Adela. _She lay crippled in the middle of the road, covered in snowy white fur.  
"What." Josh said, looking at the two of them.  
"Oh shit!" Carrie said, and took off running, Bailey standing up slowly, ready for a battle.  
"Augh, fuckin' hell..." The other Adela said, getting up slowly. Adela jumped in front of Josh, her fangs bared.  
"Oh, put those away you mangy bitch, I ain't gonna fight 'ya." The other Adela said, spitting out a tooth. She had a deep Irish accent. Another thing he noticed was that her eyes weren't red, like his Adela. They were deep emerald, a lot darker than Carrie's.  
"Sol! Absol!" Adela said, her fur starting to crackle with energy again.  
"Okay, hold on. Why are there two Adela's?" Josh said, putting a hand on Adela, trying to stop her from attacking. She backed away a bit, still staring at the other Adela.  
"Call me Adela again, and I'll rip ya throat out, ya fucking disgrace." The other Adela snapped, flashing her fangs.  
"I'll call you what I please, you're in no damn position to argue, _Adela._" Josh said. As he said that, Amanda appeared next to his side. The real Adela took to his right side, growling.  
The other Adela snarled, "Fine, just let me be. I don't have any business with you lot." She slowly got up, and started to limp away.  
"Amanda, if you please." Josh said, looking to her. She nodded, and the other Adela froze in mid-step, Amanda stopping her. Bailey, on the other hand, leaped at Amanda again, only to be intercepted by Adela... Again. Adela jumped up towards Bailey and grasped her neck in her jaws, and threw her aside. The lion tumbled into the treeline, and didn't come out. "What in the bloody hell was that for?!" The other Adela cried, her emerald eyes turned to Josh.  
"She was going to attack Amanda. Can't have that can we?"  
"It would've made my life a whole lot easier if she tore that slut into pieces!" The other Adela roared. Amanda's eyes narrowed, and lashed out.  
The Absol yelped in pain, snarling at Amanda. "I should've killed you when I had the chance. But no, had to play along with that stupid slut's plan. Now let me outta here!"  
"No. Not until we get some answers." Josh said, walking up next to her. He studied her, noting every detail. He even saw the tiny scar at the base of her paw, a small glitch when she was created.  
"Hm. It seems you're an exact replica of Adela, excluding the eyes and that language. Why is that?" Josh said casually, crossing his arms.  
"Fuck you, that's why!"  
"Hey, if you aren't going to cooperate, I can always kill you. No skin off my back."  
"Like I give a shit! They'll just replace me with anot-" She cut off, stopping herself from saying more.  
"Oh, is that so? So you're just a solider? Let me know if this rings any bells, but I bet you know Aguire." Josh said, leaning down into her face.  
Her fangs bared, "Alright, fine. Ya got me. Not like it matters. They're probably gonna kill me anyway."  
"So you're a clone, one of many dozens. A clone of Adela."  
"First of all, fuck you. Second of all, all of that is true."  
Josh chuckled, "You sure do have the temper of Adela. You tell me everything, and we'll let you go. How about it?"  
"Hm, face an easy painless death from a needle, or slow, horrible death as I die out here in this shithole. Seems like fun!" She said sarcastically. "I ain't tellin' you nothin'! Figure it out yourself." She spat.  
Josh smiled, "Alright, your choice." He reached in his pocket, and slid out a pocket knife. "Now, this may hurt a bit." He said, reaching for her tail. The Absol struggled, "Hey, what are you doing?!"  
"Josh, is this-"  
"Be quiet Amanda, I know what I'm doing." Josh said, grasping her tail. He plunged the blade into her tail, the point sticking out the other end. The Absol cried out in pain, blood spewing out of the wound.  
"All right! I'll tell you everything! Fuckin' hell, just stop!" Tears leaked from her eyes as he pulled the blade out. Josh walked around her, and leaned into her face. She stared at him with hate, "I am a clone of approximately 120 Absols made from the DNA samples we took from Adela. They mixed human DNA in also, to add vocal chords. Additionally, all of our eyes are now green, and we have this stupid accent." She whispered.  
"Human DNA from whom?"  
"I don't bloody know, some girl named Amelia."  
"What about Amanda?"  
"Nothing as of yet. The damn Brits took her before we could get anything from her."  
Amanda gasped, "So that's how I ended up on that horrible ship..." The Absol's eyes gazed at her, "You're a lot stupider than you let on. But yes, they used a prototype transport beam, AKA a teleport to transport you to the ship."  
"Do you have a name?"  
"No. And don't you dare call me Adela."  
"Well I'm just gonna call you Absol."  
"Like I give a shit."  
"Do you have to curse in every sentence?"  
"Considering the pain in my tail, it seems the best way to relieve the fucking pain!"  
"Fair enough."  
"Fuck you." She spat.

"So, it's a battle between the US and Great Britain to see who gets Amanda first?"  
"No, you fucking idiot! The entire world is after your Amanda."  
"Is Carrie and Bailey in this?"  
"No. They just decided to help me. I actually hate the two of them, Carrie wouldn't stop talking. Damn whore too."  
"What about my house, have they broken through the lock I put on the machinery?"  
"No. Your house is gone, along with your device. They blew it up so you couldn't create an army." Josh grimaced. There goes that idea.  
"Is there a country that isn't in this mad dash for Amanda?"  
"Japan. They don't give two shits about us." Josh looked to Amanda, who shook her head. "She's not lying."  
"Well, it seems we're going to Japan." He leaned down, "Thanks for your help. But I'm afraid we can't let you go."  
"I figured as much. Fine, kill me. Just slit my throat or somethin'." But Josh laughed, shaking his head. "I'm not going to kill you. We're taking you with us."  
Adela jumped up, "Absol!" She said. Her expression said "_Hell no!_"  
Amanda agreed with Adela, "Is that really a good idea Josh?"  
"Trust me. We'll put her in a cage on the plane, and keep her with Cory. She's not invincible."  
"With Cory? I don't know Josh, you've seen what Adela can do. Imagine that _against_ us."  
"Actually, I don't have any of those powers. All I can do is fucking speak and rip out throats." The Absol said.  
"You're not lying either..." Amanda thought it over. "Fine. We can bring you." But Adela only seemed to get angry, "Absol! Sol, Absol!"  
"I realize that she won't be easy on us, but we can't let her go. She'll go and tell Aguire about our plans." Amanda said gently to Adela.  
"Ab! Absol!"  
"Hey! I heard that!" The Absol said, her eyes straining to glare at Adela.  
Amanda shook her head, "We're not going to kill her."  
"Adela, I know that you're not going to like it. But just try to endure it, okay? She'll be out of your hair before you know it." Josh said, patting her head. She huffed in frustration, murmuring something. He looked to Amanda for translation, but she shrugged.  
"What was that Adela?" Josh said, his brows furrowed.  
"...Said, NEVER GET SAY IN ANYTHING!" Adela yelled.


	5. Chapter 13

Now that I'm all caught up with my writing, (The previous chapters had mostly been pre-written, I just heavily revised and edited them before posting)  
I will now be posting single chapters, instead of three at a time in big segments. I hope that this might be a little less overwhelming, making it easier on the reader. But enough of that, get to reading, friend!  
WARNING! Chapter does contain certain Mature-rated scenes. (Nothing sexual) Most of it is profanity, thanks to our lovely little Absol, and a little bit of gore. We resume right where we left off, when Adela reveals that she can speak English.

(Chapter 13) To Japan!

Everyone took a step back in surprise. Josh's eyes widened, Amanda gasped.

"Since when could you talk?" He said in awe. Adela only looked at him with anger, "Sol." She huffed. With that she turned around, and sulked off. They watched in silence as she disappeared over the hill. "Great, first another Absol, and now Adela can talk!" Josh muttered to himself. "What's next, Arceus himself?"

"Whoa-ho! You lot are dramatic aren't ya?" The Absol said, laughing. Josh shot a mean glare at her, and she shut up. "I knew she had vocal chords, but I never thought she would be able to use them to speak." He explained.  
"Well obviously, that isn't the case. Now, can you please let me go? Your little stunt with my tail is startin' to attract flies!" She said.  
But Josh crossed his arms, "How can we know you won't run off?"  
"Does it look like I'm any mood or condition to run off? Just let me go!" Josh looked at her. She _did_ look like she wouldn't run off, with the way she regarded him with those emerald eyes. But, he wasn't taking any chances.  
"No. Amanda, keep her close to you. We're going get Adela." He started off, just as Bailey emerged from the treeline. She looked at Josh pleadingly, and collapsed. A large splintered branch stuck out of her mid-section, blood was already beginning to pool around her fur. "Oh Christ.." Josh said, running to her. "Help me out over here!" Josh said, picking up her front. Amanda lifted her rear, and Josh draped the lion over his shoulders. Bailey roared out in pain, but didn't struggle. "Oh shut up you oversized cat, I'm trying to save you!" He said through gritted teeth. When he got her up off the ground, the two set off the mountain, the Absol in tow next to Amanda.

They finally emerged from the forest, the ocean of violets before them. They saw Adela, who was sitting down next to Carrie. She was speaking to Sullivan, who had her in his arms. Tears leaked down his face. Josh and Amanda walked up to them, Adela jumping up. "I could use some help here!" Josh said, panting. He was covered in sweat and lion blood, Bailey herself unconscious. "Oh, god!" Carrie cried, rushing to Bailey. Sullivan grabbed Bailey's hindquarters, and Josh and Sullivan carried her into the bunker. Once inside, they set her down on the big round table, the large branch sticking out. Amanda released the Absol, who collapsed on the concrete floor, panting. "About bloody time." She mumbled, getting out of everyone's way. Cory burst through the door, "What's going-" He stopped, looking at the bleeding lion on the table, and the knife in Sullivan's hand.  
"Are we going to eat that?" He asked, and was slapped by Carrie and Amanda.  
Sullivan ignored him, and got to work with Bailey. "Stay out of my way, I can fix her up." He grunted. Josh slid in next to him, "Actually, Amanda could be of some use. She helped heal my bite wound from Adela, I'm sure she can help out Bailey." Josh said. Josh motioned Amanda next to him, but Amanda shook her head. "There's nothing I can do. If I do the same thing I did on Bailey, there's no telling what could happen. It could heal wrong, or become infected. This has to heal properly on it's own, I can't risk that large of a wound being out of proportion with the rest of her body." Amanda explained. Sullivan grunted, "Don't you worry, I've seen worse." He said, getting to work.  
Everyone piled behind him, watching with worry. The Absol stayed in her corner, licking herself. Josh looked to her, and grabbed a roll of bandages next to Sullivan. He walked to her, who looked at him with annoyance.  
"Tell me you aren't going to do what I think you're going to do." She said.  
"It's going to get infected if I don't do anything." Josh said gently.  
The Absol sighed, and looked away. "Fine."  
He gently grabbed her tail, and wrapped it in bandages. It stained black, instead of red. "Huh. Black blood. Like the creatures from the ship."  
"Those damn Brits got a hold of some samples. But they didn't have cloning down, it only created monsters. What you saw on that fucking freighter were bad examples of me."  
Josh nodded, and left her alone. She continued licking herself clean, ignoring everyone else. Sullivan continued to work, shaving off the fur around the wound with an old but clean razor. By then everyone slowly left the bunker, returning to work. Cory had the entire right wing back on, and with the help of Amanda they were in the process of putting the left one on. It didn't take much time to finally complete the bomber, thanks to Amanda. Josh found an old steel bar cage, and after being cursed out, the Absol reluctantly entered it. She quickly fell asleep, after being loaded onto the completed plane. Adela stayed with Carrie, her head in Carrie's lap. Sullivan worked for hours, he had taken out the branch a long time ago, the tricky part was picking out all the splinters and any other small things around the wound. At around 8:00pm, the aircraft was finished. Cory did a last minute check on the engines, and everyone head back inside to reveal Bailey awake, her wound sewn up. She lay on the table, looking at everyone weakly.  
"Try not to be too loud, she's still in a lot of pain." Sullivan whispered, who was next to the lion. He waved everyone in, and they took a seat around Sullivan. Amanda took Josh's right, Adela on his left. Cory sat down next to Adela. They formed a rough circle around Sullivan, Carrie next to him.  
"Now, I want some answers. From all of you. Everyone has been living in the dark for the past week, and now out of the blue my daughter shows up saying there's another one of those things." He said, pointing at Adela. "I've been kind towards you people, but now this is over the line. Who and what are Amanda and Adela?"  
Josh was the first to speak, "Adela and Amanda are... Both pokemon."  
"What the hell are pokemon?" Sullivan said, Carrie nodding with him.  
"Creatures from a video game..." Josh said, rubbing the back of his head. "I have...er, _had_ this machine that takes their source code from the game, and creates them into real creatures."  
Sullivan looked at him with a mix of disgust and wonder. "So basically they're freaks of nature?"  
Josh winced, "If you want to put it like that, yes."  
"And you're in a relationship with one of them?"  
"Look, if you're just going to criticize Josh because of him and Amanda, we're just going to leave." Cory said, looking at Sullivan. "He isn't breaking any rules by loving her."  
"Alright, alright. What about the other one, the one that curses all the time?"  
"She's a clone. Before we crashed, Amanda and Adela were captured. Needless to say, they took DNA samples from Adela and cloned her. The talking part and green eyes come from the human DNA they mixed in along with Adela's."  
"Clones? Boy, I really have seen it all." Sullivan said, leaning back. "And that bomber. How'd you crash in the first place?"  
"Er, I fell asleep while flying and we crashed here. But for some reason, the engines just failed. No idea why though."  
Sullivan grunted, "Well, at least it's back in one piece. Next question. Where'd you come from? Adela there was covered in blood. Blood from what?"  
Josh hesitated, "Well, from what the Absol just told me, that blood was from some kind of mutated version of Absol, the species Adela is. The British got a hold on some blood samples of her, but when they used the samples for cloning it came out as these horrible creatures."  
"The British huh? Where were you when you encountered these things?"  
"On a freighter ship, on the English Channel. Amanda and Adela were teleported ther-"  
"Hold on, what do you mean "teleported"?  
"I mean they were teleported. The British have a teleport beam that well... Teleports people." Sullivan opened his mouth to say something, then shut it. He waved for Josh to continue.  
"As I was saying, Amanda and Adela were teleported there, and then drugged with some kind of microchip. They were under the illusion that the ship was actually a cruiseliner. They were alone then, and that's when I called in Cory to rescue them. We were on the seas for days."  
"How'd you find them?"  
"Me and Amanda have a telepathic link. If she's not here with me, I have this feeling of "reassurance" if you will, in the back of my mind. It lets me know that she's still there, and where to find her. But the thing is, Amanda was disabled while on the ship. It took us forever to find her, because the link was so weak."  
Sullivan nodded, "Alright. That's all I have for you."  
Josh turned to Carrie, who was looking down.

"Alright, enough about me. What about you? I thought Sullivan said you were off this island."  
Carrie shook her head, "No I never left. I hiked into the mountains, and lived in a treehouse. It was just me and Bailey, for a long time. Then that thing found us, and we helped her out. I was so bored, and it seemed so fun! But... I would've never agreed to it if it involved Bailey getting hurt. Never."  
"Just how on Earth did you come across Bailey, out of all places on an island?"  
"Daddy gave her to me as a present when I was little. I've raised her since she was a cub." Carrie said quietly. "But then mom died... And that's when I couldn't take this place anymore." A tear slipped down her cheek, but she made no effort to wipe it away. Josh nodded, he was done with her. Sullivan spoke up, "One more question. What's your full name, Josh?"  
Josh looked up, mildly surprised. "Does it matter?"  
"No. But I would like to know anyway."  
Josh sighed, "It's Joshua Burns."  
Sullivan nodded, and waved for him to continue. Finally, Josh turned to Adela. She only looked back casually, her eyes half closed. "Adela." He regarded."You can talk."  
She nodded warily.  
"Talk to me right now." He said. But Adela shook her head, "Sol." She said.  
"She can't." Amanda said.  
"Sol, Absol, Ab, Sol."  
"She says that it only happens rarely. If she were to practice, she could probably be speaking like me. And she wants that. She doesn't like being the second best, she wants equal terms between me and Adela." Adela nodded, a set look in her eyes. Carrie and Sullivan got up, heading to the bedroom. Sullivan waved them goodnight, and the door closed behind them.  
"But I thought you were perfectly fine being second best. It never seemed to bother you." Josh said.  
"Ab, Absol, Sol."  
Amanda took a brief moment to translate, "Well, she's tired of it. She's tired of not being understood, she's tired of me translating for her. The biggest thing right now is that she wants to learn to talk. And..." Amanda hesitated, looking to Adela, who nodded.  
She continued, "And she would like for you to pay more attention to her. It seems that all you do is be around me. She... Hates that. She's not jealous, but it's not fair for her."  
Josh was stunned. He didn't think Adela had felt this way. "Alright Adela. I'll pay more attention to you. And, I'll teach you English, if that's what you really want." Adela looked relieved, she stood up and nudged him, a look in her eyes. He smiled, he knew that look. "Alright. I suppose we're all hungry."  
Everyone's stomach growled in response. Josh walked into the kitchen, opening the fridge. He dug around, before taking out two pork chops, a plastic bag of apples, and supplies for a PB&J. He returned, Adela wagging her tail eagerly. He handed her the pork chops, which she tore into immediately, and set down the rest on the table. Bailey was on the other table, breathing lightly. Just as he was putting some jam on bread, he remembered the other Absol in the plane. "I'll be right back." Josh said, grabbing another pork chop from the fridge. Amanda simply nodded, biting into a fresh apple. Josh ran out the door, and headed to the big bomber. It was cool outside, the sun down and the moon out. Stars twinkled in the distance, a light breeze played with his hair. The big bomber stood out in the night, looking prideful on it's landing gear. They hadn't been able to salvage the external fuel tank, even with Amanda having a go on it. The latches that made it hook onto the fuselage of the bomber were lost, so they simply abandoned it. Amanda had bent out all of dents -it lay under a shed, completely round- next to the tractor they used. He opened the hatch door on the fuselage, and stepped in. "Hm? Who's that?" The Absol grumbled, she must've been asleep, Josh thought. He flipped a switch, and a weak light turned on in the cargo bay.  
"Thought you'd might like dinner." Josh said, smiling weakly.  
"Oh. I thought you were here to rub my fuckin' belly." The other Absol said coldly, sitting up.  
"Hey, you don't have to be rude about it." He said, throwing the pork chop in her cage. She looked at it with disgust, "What is that?"  
"A pork chop. You never seen one?"  
The Absol laughed weakly, "I've been alive for a grand total of 2 months. What do you think?"  
"Hey if you don't want it, I'll gladly give it to Adela." But she took it with a smirk, "You and those girls." She said through the pork, "They must love you a lot, huh?"  
"Yeah, they do."  
"Did you fuck the green one yet?" The Absol said, her emerald eyes flashing in the low light.  
Josh sighed, "If you're going to be like this, then I'm just going to leave." He said bluntly.  
"Alright, I won't further it anymore." She said, finishing off the meat. She picked her teeth with a paw, picking out little bits of pork.  
"So how'd you get here anyway?"  
"Oh, is this what this is about? Trying to get more Intel from me?  
"What else? You seem to hate us, it's not like we're going to adopt you anytime soon."  
"Anytime soon?" Is that an offer?"  
"Maybe so. But answer my question first."  
"I got here by boat. They put me in a crate and shipped me here. Before actually getting to the island, they threw me overboard and I had to swim the rest of the way."  
"Wow, they really don't give a shit about you." Josh said, crossing his arms.  
The Absol scoffed, "Yeah, I suppose not."  
"So then they know where we are?"  
"Obviously. It's not hard to spot a bomber this big with satellite imaging."  
"Can they track us?"  
"No. Aguire's already in deep shit with the taking over a Russian satellite to find you lot. He got to use it once, and that's it. If we move, he won't know."  
"And so they sent you."  
"Bingo."  
"But why just you? I'd imagine a team of Absols, it seems like Aguire's style."  
"Beats me. It seems like Aguire is assembling an army or something. I was one of the best, so they thought I could handle it."  
"Bullshit. Aguire know's what he's up against, he wouldn't send just a single Absol against the three of us."  
The Absol smiled, "You're pretty sharp. Alright, there _are_ other Absols, just on different islands. Once they notice I'm missing, they'll come running." She stood up, going to the edge of her cage. "And they'll slaughter that old man and the bitch, after you've left." She said lowly, her eyes boring into his.  
Josh broke eye contact, walking away from her. She started laughing, "What're gonna do? Cry? Get your head out of your ass! You thought people _wouldn't_ die?" She called after him. Josh jumped down, slamming the hatch door shut behind him. He walked briskly back to the bunker, Amanda opening the door. "I heard everything. We're all getting packed up. They aren't going to get us." She said as Josh passed her. Inside, everyone was putting things in large green duffel bags. Sullivan rounded the corner that led into the bedroom, he was carrying an old dusty chest. He set it down with a grunt, taking out a key and unlocking it. The top creaked open, and inside weapons gleamed in the light. He took one out, it looked like it hadn't been fired in years. Sullivan slid the bolt back, which was on the top. Josh looked with wonder, pointing at it. "Is that a-?"  
Sullivan nodded, "Thompson. This island was one the Marines took back in '42. Got a buncha these things and a couple of Garand rifles too." He set the gun back in the chest, closing the lid. "I also gotta buncha ammo too." He said, and went off for that. Josh grabbed what little he had, a pair of clothes and some food. He stuffed it in a duffel bag provided, and waited in the kitchen for everyone else. Amanda and Adela stood with him, and finally everyone was ready. They all headed into the bomber, Josh and Cory first. Those two went over pre-flight checks, Sullivan and Carrie loaded the defensive turrets with what they had. In addition to the chest of weapons, he had also brought a .20mm Bofors cannon, which was a step up than the .50cal guns the bomber was already equipped. It sat on a tripod, the damn thing took up half the space in the cargo bay. Bailey was brought in, sleeping on a cot. She was given some morphine and sleep pills, and she was out cold. Cory started each engine up one by one, until finally every one of them were grumbling in place. He gave it a little throttle, and slowly the bomber taxied out from it's place, heading to where Sullivan had shown him the makeshift take-off strip. It bumped to the strip, lights on the wings showing the way. Once he was in place, he looked back, "We ready?" Everyone besides the Absol and Bailey nodded, the same hard look in their eyes.  
Cory returned to the instrument panel, and slid the four throttle sticks to around 75% throttle. On the fourth engine, he put it up on max throttle, to compensate for the loss of power. The plane bumped along the strip, slowly gained speed, the speedometer ticking 85mph. Cory and Josh pulled on the stick, and the rumbling quieted, and stopped all together. They smoothly sailed away from the island, gaining altitude and speed. Everyone sighed a breath of relief, even the Absol. The tension in the air dissipated, and Sullivan leaned back on the wall.  
"Alright, set course for Malaysia." Cory said, giving control to Josh. "We'll need to stop soon, we're already low on gas. We'll land there, and hopefully refuel without any problems."  
Josh nodded, and set a multitude of dials on the panel on the ceiling. He also set the auto-pilot, the plane setting itself level and straight. "Don't fall asleep now. Keep watch for the engines, especially #4. She's workin' harder than the rest, and without an oil cooler temperatures are going to rise." Josh nodded, remembering last time. Sullivan stared out the window, looking at the island.  
"So long darlin' " He whispered, setting a hand on the window pane. He looked away, wiping his face and taking the belt of ammo over his shoulder to the cannon. He set to work loading it, while Carrie took the twin guns in the tail out of place so Sullivan could set the cannon in place of the guns. He saw her crawl back out, pulling the guns out. Once she was out, he stuffed the cannon through the hole, aiming the barrel for the hole where the default guns used to be. It slid into place, and Sullivan crawled through to lock the maneuvering mount into place. He slid it around, and it locked into place with a heavy and satisfying "Click!" "Alright, we got the cannon in place!" Sullivan yelled through the crawl space, and Carrie's hand appeared, giving him a thumbs-up. "Fire a round and see if that old thing still works!" Sullivan heard Cory, and he slid around, loading an enormous bullet into the chamber. The thing was the size of his hand. He slid the bolt back into place, and thumbed the safety. He clicked the trigger, and the cannon went off with a quick "BOOM!" He followed the round sail away, until suddenly it disappeared in mid-flight. A shower of sparks flew, and a plume of fire jetted out from what looked like nothing. He peered at the jet of fire, and suddenly it was there, an enormous black object. It was as big as the bomber, except it was shaped like a flight of stairs. Sullivan's eyes widened as he recognized what it was."Oh, shit!" He yelled, turning over his shoulder. "Turn off all the lights! Get out of the moonlight, we got a stealth fighter on our tail!"  
Momentary hesitation, then the fuselage plummeted into darkness. He felt the aircraft tilt to the left, the engines revving up. "Full throttle! Aim all guns to the jet of fire!" Sullivan yelled, and loaded the cannon. He slammed the bolt into place, and started firing at the fighter. While Sullivan was firing, Carrie manned the bubble turret that was on top of the aircraft, and Amanda crawled past Josh and Cory into the turret facing forward of the craft. Amanda and Sullivan were restricted to frontwards and back, while Carrie had an all-round view. "Where is it?!" Carrie cried, turning herself around. The way the top turret worked was that it was connected to a periscope, Carrie fired the guns on buttons in the handle of the end she had. Back in WWII, it was a life-saving device so that a gunner wasn't exposed to fighters they were firing at. "It's still on our rear! Follow the bullets, and you'll see it!" Sullivan shouted, and continued firing. Carrie faced the rear, tracing the bullets Sullivan fired. Like before, it disappeared from nowhere, followed by a trail of fire. It seemed to pop out in her view, she saw the outlines of the fighter. "I got it!" Carrie yelled, and pressed the double triggers. The twin guns fired, supporting Sullivan's heavy rounds. The big cannon couldn't shoot as fast as the .50cal, a three second interval was accompanied by every round Sullivan sent. But the fighter seemed to shrug them off, the cannon seeming to do minimal damage. And then, the cannon hit a weak spot, a small explosion erupted from the fighters surface. Only then did it act, they heard jet engines spooling up from deep inside the fighter. It gained speed, and blasted past them. Amanda could easily see it thanks to her above-average night-vision, she started firing from her guns. Carrie swiveled around, not taking her finger off the triggers. It continued to take heavy fire, and then broke off to the right, a small tubular white object detaching itself from within the fighter. It flew in mid-air, and a jet of smoke blasted out of one end, shooting past the stealth fighter. It changed course, turning around and headed straight for the bomber. "Amanda! Shoot the rocket!" Josh yelled, jerking the stick to the right. The aircraft lurched heavily to the right, Amanda turned her sights on it, still firing. It got closer, Josh could see it filling up his windshield. A bullet struck the side of the rocket, and it whirled to the left, scraping the underside of the left wing. But nevertheless it didn't explode, spinning wildly into the water below. Josh was panting, leaning back into the chair. "Oh, thank goodness." He breathed.  
"It's gone." Cory said, looking out the window to his right. In the distance, the stealth fighter stood out in the moonlight, trails of smoke drifting from it. The Absol, her paws over her head waiting for impact, burst into relieved laughter, "Oh man! Oh, man I thought I was a goner! Jesus, I can't believe this pile of shit actually fought off that fucker!" She said, a loopy grin on her face. Cory shot her a look of pure hatred from his place in the seat, "Say something about my plane again and I'll throw you overboard."  
The grin instantly vanished from her face, she retreated back to her little corner in the cage.  
"Is no one going to comment on my next-to-impossible shot with a 40-year old gun?" Amanda said smugly, her face appearing at Josh's feet. He smiled, "You did wonderful. We'd be dead if it weren't for you." He said.  
"Yeah, thanks for not killing us." Cory said, a light smile playing his lips. She beamed at him, and crawled back to her place in the front of the plane. "You guys stay in defensive position. We can't be sure if it will come back and trail us." Josh said over his shoulder.

They flew silently and without interruption for the next hour, the scrape on the wing annoying the hell out of everyone. It apparently screwed up the trim on that wing, and the bomber kept wanting to pull to the left. On top of that, it started whistling in the wind, screaming over the sound of the engines. Even so, Amanda climbed out of the front turret, and went into the fuselage. Moments later, conversation drifted from Amanda and Adela, she was teaching her the basics of speech to Adela. It was early morning when they finally got radio contact from the KL International Airport, which was located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. They explained their situation to the head of security and the manager of the airport, and happily let them land. Cory knew some people who would provide them with everything they would need, including a 5-star hotel. At 6:00 in the morning, with barely any gas left, they smoothly landed at the airport. Once stopped inside a hangar, the bomber was flocked by personnel, including local police. Josh and Cory got out, headed to the head of security and a police officer. "Morning guys." Josh said casually, shaking hands. They both looked back with bland expressions, "You mind telling me what's going on here? From the radio report you said you needed to refuel." The officer said. He was dark tanned, and black eyes peered out. He had that general Asian accent, slightly higher in pitch than normal. Cory nodded, "That's right. We're on a flight to Japan. This bomber was donated to one of their museums in Japan. This is it's last flight before officially retiring. The thing is, we... Er, ran into some trouble with some pirates." Cory said, rubbing the back of his head.  
Both men looked at the enormous scrape on the wing, which the mechanics were looking over. "Pirates. You ran into pirates during flight?"  
Cory nodded, "Yes sir, we ran into one of their maritime patrols. He engaged us, but we managed to shake them off."  
The police officer look at him briefly, then wrote down everything he said.  
"...Right, right. Well, if you sign here," The head of security said, giving Cory a clipboard, "We'll get to repairing the damage, and she'll be back in the air by next month." The man said.  
Cory only stared back, "Next month?" He said in disbelief. "We need it up in the air by tomorrow!"  
But the man shook his head, "Nonono, next month. That is as fast as we can go."  
Cory sighed, signing the on the line. "Just have her refueled. We'll repair it when we get to Japan." He said, annoyed. The man simply shrugged, and shouted to the mechanics in his own language. They crawled off the plane, and walked away, looking back at it every now and then. "Well, everything checks out." The officer said, "You can go." He waved them off, and Josh and Cory walked back to the bomber. "That was weird. They just let us go like that?" Cory said. Josh smiled, a twinkle in his eye._  
Thanks Amanda. _Josh said in his mind. He could practically feel her smile, _What are you going to do without me?_ She said.  
Cory looked at the damage done, while Josh jumped inside. "Alright! Get your things, we're going sleep in a real bed." Josh waved to Amanda, "Amanda, up front. I'll need you." She nodded, and jumped out with Josh. They walked to the damaged wing, which Amanda was looking over. The steel skin had torn open where the rocket hit, and peeled back, exposing the interior of the wing. The tear started near the front of the wing, going all the wa back to the flaps near the end of the wing."Think you can fix that?" Josh asked. She nodded, "Right now?" She asked, her hands half up. Josh nodded, and Amanda grasped the two torn edges of the skin in her psychic grip , and bent them back into shape with the rest of the wing. A small pencil-thin line remained. "Great job, we'll weld that back into place." Cory said, patting her back. Meanwhile, pedestrians saw what just happened with wide eyes. Some turned and ran, most just stared with wonder, others with fear. Josh turned to Amanda, "You know what to do." He said.  
She nodded, and closed her eyes. A flash of blue light blasted out of her, and everyone blinked their eyes. Confusion spread, the head of security called all the employees back into the main terminal over intercom. Slowly, everyone shuffled into the building, leaving Josh and his crew alone. Cory was confused, "What did you do?" He asked.  
"I just wiped their minds of everything that just happened in the past 5 minutes." She said, taking an apple from her pocket.  
"But wouldn't they just see all of this all over again?"  
Amanda shook her head, "It's kind of like a cloak too. Every time they see it, the moment they turn away it'll be erased from their memories. The perfect disguise." She bit into the apple.  
Cory laughed in amazement, "Like from that one episode from Doctor Who?"  
Amanda looked at him with confusion, "Doctor... Who?"  
But Cory waved it off, "Nevermind." He said, and went into the plane for his things. Just as he opened the hatch, he stopped. "Hold on, if you can do all of that, then why not do it to Aguire and anyone who poses a threat?" He asked.  
Amanda shook her head, "I couldn't. He has some kind of technology that block my powers in that wretched facility. I have to be in contact with him for it to take effect, so I can't do it from here. Plus I only do it when Josh tells me to."  
Cory nodded and climbed in, mulling over what she said. While he was in, Adela stumbled out, almost falling out of the plane. She hurried out of the hangar, and Josh heard terrible noises from her. He tried not to think about it while he and Carrie carried out Bailey, who was half awake. She stared at Carrie weakly, and they set her down on the ground. Carrie stayed with her, while Josh went in for the Absol. He tossed her cage out of the plane, the Absol spitting out curses. The cage bounced around on the ground, coming to rest with the Absol upside down, yelling at Josh the things she would do to his mother. They all smiled, Josh jumping down and Cory slamming the door behind him. He clapped his hands together, "Right! Well, I'm going to book us a place at a hotel. I saw one just around the corner, so we'll meet back here in..." He glanced at his watch, "8:00. Sound fair?" Everyone nodded, and Cory set off, disappearing behind one of the large hangar doors.

Josh was studying one of Sullivan's Garand rifles with interest when he felt a tug on his sleeve. It was Amanda, she had a grin on her face. Her ruby eyes were lit up, positively blazing. "Can we go out and see the city?" She asked. Josh looked around, no one else seemed to be busy. Sullivan and Carrie were checking over Bailey, who was sitting up. The Absol lay in the middle of the hangar, her crate still upside down, but herself upright. Adela was bathing in the sun, her eyes closed. She didn't look so hot, the plane ride must've gotten to her. He looked back to Amanda, thinking. "What happened to sleep?" But Amanda shook her head, "I slept on the plane." This was obviously a lie, she was teaching Adela English the entire ride. "Comon Josh, this is a new experience for me! We can eat good food, enjoy the culture a bit. Pleaase?" She asked, her hands clasped together in a pleading manner. Josh sighed, "Alright." He said, giving in. He put the Garand rifle back in the dusty chest, turning the key to lock it. Amanda was waiting for him, her elbow outwards to take his arm. Josh took his wallet from his bag, and walked over to Amanda. He slid his arm around hers, and they walked to Adela. "You coming?" Josh asked. She opened one eye, glancing at them. She shook her head slowly, closing her eye again. "Alright. We'll bring something back for you." Josh said, ruffling her fur. Adela smiled lightly, "Sol." She said, and Josh and Amanda set off. The Absol saw them leaving, "Wait! Take me with you! I can't stand this fucking cage!" But Josh only raised his hand in a wave, his back to them. "Sullivan, let her out every now and then. But keep a close eye on her. Put her on a leash if you have to." Josh called out, walking away from the hangar. He knew Sullivan heard him, even though there was no reply. They headed east, to a small road clogged with people and taxis. Josh whistled for one, the taxi screeching to a halt. He opened the door for Amanda, and got in himself. The driver looked with wonder as Amanda slid in, along with Josh. "Where to, sir?" The driver said to Josh through the rearview mirror.  
"Uh, where's the nearest city?" Josh asked. He had no idea where he would be going, or what lay ahead. The driver whistled low, "That'll be Kuala Lumpur." The driver had an American accent, he looked at Amanda with interest through the rearview mirror. "Is it far?" Josh asked as the driver pulled away from the curb. They didn't go far, soon he was stopped in traffic. The driver nodded. "At least 50 miles. In this traffic it'll seem like 100. I can still take you there, but it'll cost ya." Josh took out his wallet, seeing what he had. He held about a thousand dollars in $100's. He had enough money for the trip, sure. But 50 miles? He turned to Amanda, "You sure you still want to go? We only have 2 hours." Amanda nodded her head, "Yes! It's only 50 miles."  
"It'll take us at least 2 hours to get into the city." The driver said, taking a left onto another street.  
"May I suggest something else? The Sepang International Circuit is always open. It's right across the airport. In fact, Caspian Mettal is practicing there right now." The driver said. Josh's jaw dropped, "_The _Caspian Mettal?"  
The driver nodded, "The one and only." Amanda was puzzled, "Who's Caspian Mettal?"  
"Oh, well... Erm..He's... He's.." The driver stammered. His faced was flushed. Josh saw this, taking over. "Caspian is a legendary pro-series race car driver. He literally rewrote every track record he's been to."  
"Right! Right..." The driver said. Amanda giggled, she'e never seen anyone so embarrassed in her presence. "Hey, relax. I'm not going to bite." She said, a smile on her lips. "I-I'm sorry lady, I was n-n-never good at talking t-to women. Especially one such as yourself." He stuttered. Amanda blushed, "Thank you. My name is Amanda, by the way." She said politely, offering her hand over the seat. He took it, shaking it briefly. "James." He wasn't looking at the road while he did this, and a car horn blared out. James jerked the wheel to the right, narrowly missing an oncoming car. Amanda was thrown into Josh's lap. He laughed, shaking his head. "Boy, you just make friends everywhere you meet, huh?" He said, looking down at her. Amanda playfully hit him, "It pays to be nice." She said, a smile on her face. She stayed where she was, her head on his lap. Josh leaned down and kissed her, both of them smiling out of love. James darted his eyes, trying not to look. He coughed into his fist, but said nothing. Amanda looked up, blushing. "Sorry." She said, her cheeks burning. She sat up, and for the rest of the ride they didn't say much. Finally, the cab pulled into a large concrete driveway. "We're... We're here." He said. Before them, an empty track lay ahead. It seemed to be deserted, no one were in the stands that stood over the track. A lone trailer was parked in one of the spaces behind the stands, and Josh saw a crew in the small garage provided. In the center of the garage, stood a red and white F1 race car, twinkling in the sun. Four thick black tires stretched out in long steering columns, the body was shaped like a rocket. Intakes stood near the bottom, and Josh could see the engine was in the back. A large fin also protruded out the back, almost like the rudder assembly on Cory's bomber. The crew huddled over it, and someone in the driver's seat was putting on a helmet. Josh paid the driver, and stepped out. Amanda and Josh walked over to the crew, who didn't look up from what they were doing. They seemed to be going over a check over, making sure everything is correct. A big black man who looked like the chief of the crew counted down, "Three, two, one."  
The driver pushed a button, and the motor instantly turned on, grumbling through it's short exhaust pipes. The sound was loud in the closed off area, Josh and Amanda put their hands over their ears. The black man looked up, seeing Josh and Amanda. He slid his hand across his throat, the universal sign of "_cut the engine."  
_The driver did so, silence returning back into the small garage. "What do you want? We're very busy here." The black man said. Josh rubbed the back of his head, "We just wanted to see if Caspian Mettal was actually here or not." Josh said. The driver's helmet came off, revealing fluffy black hair. He had a light skin, and blue eyes twinkled. He smiled, a big grin showing off perfectly white teeth. "Can I help you?" He asked. He had a slight Italian accent.  
"Holy crap. It's really Caspian Mettal." Josh walked over to the car, extending his hand. Caspian took it, shaking it firmly. "I am a huge fan. You just never cease to amaze me and the world of F1 racing." Josh said, still shaking his hand. Caspian smiled again, looking over to Amanda. She waved, "Hello." She said shyly. Josh rejoined next to her side, putting an arm around her. "This is Amanda. Amanda, Caspian Mettal." Amanda waved again, smiling a bit. "Eh, my English is not too good. Amanda, you are very pretty. I'm very glad to meet both of you, and I would like to do so later. But for now, I must go." And with that, he dropped back into the seat of his race car, and restarted the engine. He dropped it into reverse, and backed out of the garage. He then turned, and headed onto the track, the crew leaving them behind. Josh and Amanda went into the stands, to see Caspian on the track. He was stopped at the finish line, waiting for something. All of a sudden he took off, the F1's motor screaming. He accelerated so fast, one moment he was there the next he was gone, shifting through gears. He took corners without so much as a hitch, slowing down and speeding up in all of the right places. When the straightaway loomed closer, he punched it, redlining at 3rd gear at the last corner and going all out on the straightaway. He crossed the finish line, and resumed 5 more laps of intense racing. The smell of high-octane fuel covered the track, Josh's eyes burned a bit.

_I don't mean to be a buzzkill Josh, but this is boring. _Amanda's voice spoke up in his head. He looked to her, she was tracing Caspian's car with a bored look, her eyes half closed. Her head were on the palms of her hands. He glanced at his watch, surprised to find they had spent an hour just watching him run up and down the track. "Alright. Let's head back." Josh said, and took her hand. They stood up, Josh waving to Caspian's car. No one else was here, and Josh didn't expect a response. But as he climbed down the stands, Caspian's car stopped at the side of the track, cutting off the engine. "Hold on!" He yelled, stopping Josh and Amanda. "You're leaving? I just got started!"  
"Sorry, we just got off of a _long_ plane ride. With me piloting." Josh said, starting off. "Well, alright." Caspian said. He sounded a little disappointed. Amanda turned and waved at him, and Josh and Amanda walked to where their cab had parked. They heard Caspian's F1 start up again, and drive off. James was snoring in the front seat, the car still running with the A/C on. Josh knocked on the window, startling him to reality. Amanda and Josh slid back in the back seat.  
"Back to the airport?" James said, scratching his head. Josh nodded, and James set off.

Back at the airport, Cory had found them a really fancy hotel, which was conveniently placed right next to the airport. The Sama-Sama, a 5-star hotel (Cory didn't disappoint) with an enormous entrance. He spared no expense, getting them the penthouse suite. Amanda and Josh trundled up to the suite, Josh unlocking the door with his keycard. It flowed open, revealing an enormous room. In the center was a small table with a bucket of ice, a bottle of champagne buried in it. A hole lay where the other bottle had been. Sullivan was in the process of pouring himself another glass. He wobbled on his feet, a loopy smile on his face. "Wel-welcome to the penthouse suite!" He cried, downing the glass in one gulp. Josh shook his head, going for the bedroom. Amanda was a little shocked, taking the bottle of champagne and examining it closely. She peered into the bottle, then sniffed it. She wrinkled her nose, "Ech!" She said, putting the bottle back in it's place in the bucket. Next to the bucket, was an untouched basket of fruit. It ranged from simple apples, to exotic pomegranates. Amanda took an orange, and walked into the bedroom with Josh. Carrie was snoring in the big queen-sized bed, taking up the right side. Bailey was on the floor, also sleeping. Cory was no where to be seen, so Josh climbed in on the left side, Amanda in the middle. They curled up next to another, facing the right wall. Even though it was around mid-morning, the room was dark and cool, the curtains drawn. Josh traced his finger on Amanda's figure, herself smiling in the dark. She loved it when he did this, the slight tickling sensation always lulled her to sleep. His finger explored her body, from her thigh to shoulders. He never went to the more private areas, except on a few nights when the mood was right. Josh did this until he heard her breathing slow down, and once he was sure she was asleep he stopped, his hand resting on her belly. Josh closed his eyes, and together they fell into dreamless sleep.

While Josh and Amanda slept, Sullivan was having a blast with himself, drunk as a goose. In this drunken stupor, he had failed to notice that the Absol had slipped out of her cage, which he hauled to the room. No one even looked at him while he lugged her here, not even when the Absol started yelling bloody murder. And so, while Sullivan slowly slipped into sleep on the couch, the Absol had jumped off the balcony, landing lightly on her feet on the ground, and running off. She disappeared into the expanse of trees, and once she was sure no one would hear her, she put a paw on her neck, searching for the tiny mic hidden beneath her white fur. Finally, she heard a tiny click, and a brief whine of feedback in her ear. "This is Absol 2-9-4. I have some valuable Intel pertaining to the Gardevoir case." The Absol said briefly. She heard minute clicks as the message went through, and finally the operator responded. "Roger that A-294. Rely it over, we have the Sarge listening in."  
"We're in Malaysia. Island number 532 was positive, I came across and was successfully defeated by the Gardevoir. As hoped, they captured me. Their means of transport is via flight, a friend by the name of Cory is the pilot of a British WWII-Era bomber."  
The Absol heard the mic on the other end turn, and Aguire's voice. "Can you identify what type of bomber it is, and where you are now?"  
"Not sure what the bomber is, but it's heavy class, and packing a .20mm in the rear. It should be relatively easy to down, some of your recon crew almost took us down with a Sidewinder. We are currently located in the KL National Airport, the entire group at the Sama-Sama hotel."  
"Humph. Figured that, the little brat was never short of cash. Anything else, A-294?"|  
The Absol nodded, "Yes. Along with Cory, they have two new mates with them. I took them on as Allies while stationed at the Island, but now they are on the enemies side. These two include Carrie, and a female lion by the name of Bailey."  
"I'm sorry, but did you say a _lion?_" It was the operator.  
"Yes sir. She has been wounded however, during one of the original Absol's attack."  
"Can you take her and the girl down?" Back to Aguire.  
"Yes sir. Although they know of my origins and other valuable Intel."  
"_What? _Why did you tell them!" Aguire yelled into her ear. She winced a little bit.  
"I'm sorry sir, Josh tortured me. He thrust a knife through my tail."  
"_I don't care if he rips out one of your eyes! _You don't give way that easily you stupid mutt!"Aguire screamed through the mic.  
"I'm sorry sir." She repeated, a trickle of blood flowing down her ear. She was pretty sure he burst her eardrum, but she didn't really care. Not like she was going to live long anyway.  
"Alright, stay with them as long as possible. We'll send a squad to pick you up."  
"Yes sir. But, send the squad to Japan. This was only a refueling point, our main destination is Japan."  
"Dammit, I'm going to have to pull some strings. Alright solider, keep this charade up. Shit is going to hit the fan in Japan, and I don't want you in it. Now, is there anything else I need to know?"  
The Absol thought for a moment, then shook her head. "No sir."  
"Alright. Stay safe, don't blow your cover." And with that, she heard the mic being switched off. The Absol too switched off her mic, walking back to the Sama-Sama Hotel. She was walking slowly, thinking of how nice it would be to slowly cut up Carrie, when Adela appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Unlike Adela, the Absol's senses closely matched that of a humans. She had the agility of Adela, but that was just about it. Adela faced her, blocking her only way out. Her fur crackled with energy, her face set in a snarl. "What the hell are you doing out of your cage?" She barked. She was speaking in the Pokemon language, not English. The Absol smiled, looking innocent. "I was taking a lovely stroll through the woods."  
Adela scoffed, "Cut the crap. What were you doing out here?"  
The Absol's smile faded, replaced by hatred. She sincerely hated Adela, more than the rest of those idiots she was with. "Fine, I was taking a piss. Girl's gotta have her private time, yeah?"  
"Why isn't anyone with you then?" Adela said, starting to charge her fur for an attack.  
"Well, um.." The Absol said dubiously, sliding a bit to the left. If she could just edge her way a bit more... Adela saw this, and fired off a bolt of lightning, accompanied by a boom of thunder. It streaked across the Absol's left, tearing through multiple trees. The Absol's fur stood on end, briefly singed from the attack.  
"Alright, alright! Calm the hell down! So I may of snuck out..." She said, putting up a paw. "But I swear I wasn't doing anything sneaky! I really did have to go use the bathroom, but I got lost... And then I ran into you."  
"Ugh, whatever. You're lucky I was told not to kill you. Otherwise," Her eyes narrowed, a tiny bolt of lightning darting across her fur. Her figure blocked out the still-rising sun, the Absol in her shadow. Her crimson eyes blazed like miniature suns. She then turned around, jerking her head for the Absol to follow. The Absol caught up with Adela, licking down her fur where it had poofed up from the static. While she was doing this, Adela noticed a streak of blood running down her head, "What caused that?" She asked, forcing herself not to leap at the Absol's throat. She knew she was flat-out lying out her butt, but Adela couldn't do anything about it. Like Amanda, Adela had a sense of duty to follow whatever Josh told her to do. Not just that, her logical thinking screamed at her not to attack, because for all she could know the Absol _had _just snuck out to use the bathroom, or just to get out of the cage. It seemed like a logical enough excuse, she had been in that cage the entire time. The Absol looked up, "Hm? What caused what?" She asked.  
"Your ear is bleeding. Bad." Adela said. Her eyes were half closed, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. The Absol put a paw on the side of her head, quickly wiping away the blood. "Oh, that's uh, nothing." She said, her eyes darting on the ground. They passed a group of people, walking right past them. Nobody as much as looked at the odd couple. Whoever did just stared wide-eyed, and the second they looked past they seemed to have no idea where they were.  
"It sure doesn't look like anything." Adela said, in an accusing tone.  
"Just drop it okay? A splinter or something must've pierced my ear, all thanks to you." The Absol countered.  
Adela did drop it, but she kept a note of it in her head for later, it may come up as something important.  
"What were you doing out here anyway?" The Absol asked. Adela glanced at her, then resumed staring ahead. "I was walking through the woods. Needed to get away from it all. Can't stand all these people." She said.  
The Absol laughed, "And you just happened to come across me?"  
"Pretty much. I heard something, and saw you walking out of the woods. Followed you for a while, then decided to confront. It didn't seem like you were causing any trouble."  
"Well uh, I wasn't causing any trouble." The Absol said, her eyes avoiding Adela's. She sounded like a 5-year old caught red handed with something she wasn't supposed to have. The Absol finally looked at her, and did a double take.  
"You seem to be restraining something. I can see it, you're shaking." The Absol said, studying her. Adela closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. She was shaking, from the raw hatred in this Absol's stupidity. Part of her, her instincts and otherwise "wild" part of her screamed at her to kill the damn Absol, she would only be dead weight for the group. The other part of her, her loyalty to Josh and her logical reasoning screamed at her not to, she wasn't on the grounds to do it. She could imagine those two parts of her, in some tiny room, yelling at another from opposite ends of a table.  
_"Do it! Kill her! She's a spy and you know it!"  
"Oh no you don't! If you kill her! Do you have any idea how upset Josh will be? He might even disown you!"  
"Don't listen to this fool! I'm the one you should listen to!"  
"No! Listen to me!"  
"NO!-" _  
"Quiet." Adela whispered to herself, opening her eyes. The arguing voices had ceased, the Absol was staring at her with mild disinterest.  
"Earth to Adela. Yoo-who." The Absol waved a paw in front of her face, Adela resisted the urge to bite it with all her might.  
"Right now, I'm restraining the urge to rip your head off." Adela said quietly. In that voice, you could hear the unrestricted rage cry out. Her eyes blazed like a blood-strewn supernova, her breath came out in puffs of black smoke. Her claws were unsheathed, with every step she took they gouged the concrete in tiny dents. Her fur rippled with energy, a spark every now and then leaped from her mane.  
The Absol shied away from her, "Whoa, take it easy now. You look like you're going to explode any second."  
Adela's head turned, her crimson eyes interlocking with the Absol's emerald's.  
"Say another word, and I will personally see to it that you are skinned alive, and hung up by your tail." Adela said bluntly, a miniature rod of lightning lashing out. With every word she said, tongues of fire leaped from her breath.  
The Absol jumped away with a yip, fear in her green eyes. They walked the rest of the way in silence, the Absol staying a good distance away from Adela. They took the elevator, people who entered it stared at the two of them in fear. Once up in the room, the Absol hurried to her cage, glad to be out of Adela's way. Adela, on the other hand, needed to let off some steam. She woke Amanda, telling her what she was going do. Amanda looked at her, understanding. Adela was trembling badly, her voice was strained and she snarled at anything unlucky enough to touch her. As soon as Amanda relayed the message to Josh, Adela leaped off the balcony, and sprinted into the fields that dominated the west side of the airport.

Adela ran as hard as she could, going around 70mph on land. Anyone unfortunate enough to get in her way were jerked off their feet, the only thing the person saw was a white blur. Adela leapt into the field of corn stalks, and with a mighty roar she unleashed an enormous pillar of blue fire, burning everything to ashes in a 70 foot radius. Stars of fire soared into the sky from multiple surfaces that hit. With a pant Adela went down on one knee, her head down. She had her eyes closed, breathing deeply. In front of her, the scorched crops crumbled into ashes, a few still on fire.  
"You want to talk about it?" She heard Amanda ask. She must've followed her.  
Adela sighed, "We need to do something about that Absol. She needs to go, or die." She said, pulling herself up and facing Amanda. Adela had regained her composure, her face registered mild annoyance. Even so, it was dissipating quickly. "You felt it too huh?" Amanda said, sitting down next to her, her knees drawn up.  
Adela nodded, "There's something off about her. We can't trust her."  
"I know, but Josh is... Blissfully naive. He's trying to help her, to get her on our side."  
"That's never going to happen. She's Aguire's pet, she has the loyalty we have to Josh as she does to Aguire." Amanda didn't reply, just looking at the sky above her.  
"Adela, do you hate Josh?" Amanda said finally, looking to her. Adela didn't look back, she just stared ahead of her. "No. I love him, in a sense of trainer and trainee. He helped me into this world, he helped me find you." She said.  
"What do you mean by that?"  
"You've always were like a big sister to me. Back then, it was you, me, and Aggron. Sure, everyone else was just as important, but us, we were the special ones. When you were taken out of that game, I didn't know what I was going to do. I couldn't live. Then I found that hole, and everything changed. I wanted to take everyone with me, but they didn't feel the same way. They felt as though it was Josh's fault in the first place for this chaos. In a way, it was- but it also gave me and everyone else the opportunity to _live_, to feel grass between your paws, to enjoy life. But, they didn't want to go. And now, I'm beginning to see why." Adela turned her head, looking at her. "I'm not happy Amanda. This has been a struggle, ever since the day I've been created."

Amanda put an arm around Adela's neck, "I know Adela. And I'm so sorry for this, all of it. But Japan is a safe-zone. We'll be happy there, I promise. By the week's end, we'll be in Japan, and we'll be accepted for who we are."  
But Adela shook her head slowly. "No, I'd like to think that, but it's not the truth. The only place where we will find peace is in death. The world will never accept us. I've learned that the hard way, and so have you. But you, you've been comforted. You've had someone to lean on, to wipe away your tears. _I_ was left alone. _I_ was the one who suffered, who bled freely." Adela was standing up now, hurt in her eyes.  
"It's been hell for me, and it's been remorseless. You've at least had temporary relief. No, I don't hate Josh." She turned her gaze to Amanda.

"But I hate _you._" She said coldly.

Her crimson eyes bore into hers, and Amanda could see it. That fiery rage hiding just beneath the surface, the rage that the Absol saw. She saw it lurking beneath her eyes, and heard it hiding in her voice.  
"You've _always _came first, no matter what the occasion. You blinded him with love, causing this whole mess in the first place. Thanks to _you,_ everyone else is dead."  
Amanda was confused, "What are you-"  
"I'm talking about our team!" Adela shouted, her fur crackling. "_Can't you feel it?_ They're dead! Every one of them! One by one, they fell. I heard Aggron screaming in my head for hours. You want to know where I've been? I was out in the woods, trying to get away from those screaming voices. They temporarily left me, but every day they come back. Even now, the life we used to know is falling apart. Everything is dying! A_nd I can hear every one of them in my head!_"  
Amanda was completely shocked, "What happened to you Adela?" She reached out to touch her, but Adela jumped back with a snarl. "Don't touch me! I don't need your comfort. You've had your chance." Amanda couldn't believe her. Anger welled up inside her, and she jumped up, grabbed a fistful of Adela's fur, leaned into her face, and slapped her right across her muzzle. Adela slowly looked back with a look of dismay, her eyes wide.

"Now you listen to me, and you listen quick! You better who remember who you're dealing with! Stop living in the past you fool! You don't think it hasn't been tough on me? This entire trip has been emotionally and physically exhausting! If you're so damn _desperate_ for attention, then go up and ask for it! Josh doesn't hate you! He isn't tolerating you! He _loves_ you, he _cares_ for you. But by no means, should you take out your own anger on me. I am your metaphorical big sister, and I will NOT tolerate such disrespect!" Amanda shouted into Adela's face.

She let go of Adela, turned around, and stormed off. Adela only stared at her as she glided away, the same look on her face. Behind her, farmers cried out in outrage from their destroyed crops. She stood there for at least 5 minutes, before snapping out of it, and looking over her shoulder, walked back to the hotel. As she walked, guilt quickly filled the hole in her heart, formerly engulfed in rage. Amanda was right. About everything. It was petty of her to bottle her emotions like that, blaming Amanda for such a small problem. She couldn't believe she let her emotions control her like that. Adela didn't hate Amanda, she loved her and Josh to death. It was true she heard the voices of her team, she heard them crying out in pain. But it was small, like how a song that got stuck in your head eventually faded away. She just lost control, she let her anger get the best of her. Adela decided to apologize the second she would step into the room. Normally, a person would take the stairs or an elevator to their room. But Adela wasn't exactly human, and so Adela scaled the side of the hotel, her claws digging into the concrete wall. She jumped back into the balcony she had leaped off of not 30 minutes ago, and walked into the open room. Sullivan was passed out on the couch, a bottle of whiskey this time in his hand. The Absol was quiet in her cage, trying to avoid Adela's gaze. Carrie was feeding a now awake Bailey chunks of an entire cooked chicken, Bailey purring loudly. Adela walked to the closed bedroom door, knocking on the door with her paw. A few moments passed, and Josh opened the door. He looked like he just got up. "Oh, hey Adela." He said sleepily. Adela ignored him, walking past him, looking for Amanda. But she wasn't there. Adela turned around, "Sol. Ab, Absol." She said. Josh got the gist of it, with the questioning look on her face and the tone of her voice. Josh shook his head, "No, I haven't seen Amanda. In fact-" He closed his eyes, concentrating slightly. "Ah, okay. She's headed up right now." Josh said, flumping down on the bed. Adela sat down next to him, and waited for Amanda and the upcoming discussion.

Amanda opened the door, and almost attacked by Bailey, if it weren't for her good intentions. Bailey apparently now loved Amanda to death, she leapt into her arms the second she saw her. Amanda caught her roughly, stumbling back a bit from her weight. Carrie laughed weakly, "Alright Bailey, let Amanda go. You're gonna reopen your wound."  
Bailey did as she was told, jumping down from Amanda's shocked arms. Amanda brushed herself off, and headed into the bedroom. She closed the door, leaning on it for support. With a breath of relief, she glanced at Adela and Josh, who sat at the foot of the bed with her. He patted a space next to him, signalling her to sit down. Once she sat down, Josh started. "Now, I believe Adela has something to say." He said. Adela nodded, "Sol. ...Vearee... sor-ree." She managed. It sounded very weird coming from her, almost like a kid trying to pronounce a word. Amanda suppressed a smile, accepting her apology. "Now, can you please explain to me why she's apologizing in the first place?" Josh asked, crossing his arms. Amanda ran through the argument that she and Adela had, Adela looking down in guilt. Once finished, Josh turned to Adela, a questioning look on his face. "Do you still hate Amanda?" He asked. Adela shook her head, not looking up. It was obvious she felt terrible for what she had said. "And you said you hear the voices of our old team?"  
Adela looked up, "Absol. Sol, Ab. Absol."  
"She says it's gone. It was never there in the first place, just a crazy notion." Amanda translated. Josh nodded. "Alright. Can you tell me what got you so angry in the first place?"  
Adela was partially surprised, she had totally forgot about the run-in with the other Absol. "Absol. Sol, Absol."  
"She says that she caught the other Absol outside, being sneaky. It was that and the way she was feeling that day that made her so angry. She also says that we need to do something with her. Right now." Amanda said. Outside, the sun was beginning to set. The sun filtered through the now open curtains, painting the room golden orange. It stayed quiet for a very long time. The silence was broken when Josh got up, and so did Amanda. Without another word, he and Amanda opened the bedroom door, and went to the Absol in the cage. Adela followed, not sure what was going on. Josh had a hard look set on his face. "Absol, I'm... I'm very sorry." He said. Amanda nodded slowly behind him. The Absol, looking at him with a quizzical expression on her face, suddenly realized what was going down. Her eyes widened with fear, she pressed herself against the side of the cage farthest away from Josh. "Wait, wait wait wait. Don't do this. Please, for the love of god, DON'T DO THIS!" She cried. Tears burst from her emerald eyes. "Amanda, hold her." Josh said over his shoulder. The Absol froze, her figure outlined in blue. Josh grabbed her, opening the cage. He lifted her out, the Absol screaming at the top of her lungs. "NO! LET GO OF ME! PLEASE I'LL GIVE YOU ANYTHING!"

Josh didn't respond, he set her on the floor. Josh's hand reached out, and Amanda gave him a hunting knife sheathed in a leather sheath. Adela understood, backing away slowly. She turned, shutting her eyes as Josh took out the knife from it's sheath. Carrie ran out of the room, Sullivan looking over from the couch with equally wide eyes. Cory wasn't in the room, thankfully. Josh held the knife to the Absol's throat, "Before I do this, is there anything you'd like to say?" Josh asked gently. His voice was soothing, gentle. The Absol had quieted down, reduced to a sniveling mess. "P-p-lease, don't kill me. I have Intel-"  
"We already know about your conversation with you and Aguire." Amanda said quietly.  
This proved to be the snapping point for the Absol, she stared at Amanda with wide eyes, her mouth still open to speak. What came out were screams of horror, the realization that she was going to die, right here, right now. Josh closed his eyes, and brought the knife down, silencing her forever. The silence that followed seemed to engulf the entire room. Nobody moved, time itself stood still in awe of the act they had committed. It was her blood that snapped Josh out of the trance, it pooled around his feet. It was black as night, with flecks of dark red in it. He slowly looked up in horror, at the gaping wound he had created. The day's lunch came up, and Josh ran out of the room, the bloody knife still in his hand. Sullivan acted first, getting an old towel and going to Amanda, who still had her hand up, gripping the Absol's lifeless body. Sullivan put his hand over hers, "Let go." He whispered, and he heard her body thump to the floor. Sullivan draped the towel over her, and wrapped it around the Absol. The towel instantly turned black at the wound, spreading like the bud of a rose. Josh stepped back in, wiping his mouth. The knife was gone, he had thrown it out the window, away from anyone who might get hit with it on the way down. "Help me with the body. We'll bury her in the fields." Sullivan said, grabbing the Absol. Josh grabbed her hind legs, and they stumbled out of the suite, leaving Amanda and Adela behind.


	6. Chapter 14

This is a very short chapter, and will be followed quickly with Chapter 15. (Which is a lot longer!) I was going to originally post this and Chapter 15 combined as Chapter 14, but I feel as though this is a big turning point in the story, and I didn't want to combine it with the action and suspense that's now in Chapter 15. Anyways, enjoy! I'm sorry it's so short! Thank you to Wildlian for suggesting cutting off the Absol's horn, it contributed a lot into this part of the story.

(Chapter 14) Mourning

Amanda was the first one to crack. She fell to her knees, her hand over her mouth and her eyes wide with horror.  
"What have I done?" She whispered to herself. Instantly Carrie was there, soothing Amanda. She had just returned from the room when she saw Amanda fall to her knees. Carrie didn't think, she just acted swiftly, and professionally. She put an arm around her, her tanned face directly in front of Amanda's.  
"Amanda, listen to me. She needed to go. We all knew it, what we did wasn't wrong." Carrie said sternly.  
Amanda flicked her wide eyes to Carrie, and Amanda just let go. She burst into tears, sobbing over her shoulder.  
"There there. It wasn't your fault." Carrie whispered. Adela sat down next to the two of them, not a single tear shed. For roughly 40 minutes Amanda cried, until finally it died down. Carrie had moved them to the couch, the left side of her shirt was drenched. It wasn't until Adela spoke up that Amanda regained her cool. "Sol. Absol, Ab." She said. Amanda looked to her, sniffing and wiping at her tear-streaked face. "You're right. We need to give her a proper funeral, not just bury her." Amanda said. She got up slowly, and along with Carrie, and Adela, they walked out of the room.  
They found Josh and Sullivan not too far away, apparently when someone died, Amanda's mind cloak dissipated along with the person. Sullivan was arguing with the hotel manager, in cuffs. Josh too was in handcuffs, and a large number of people were piled around the Absol's unwrapped body. Amanda's eyes narrowed, she really didn't want to deal with this. She stopped in front of the crowd, Adela at her side. There was a solid moment of stunned silence, and the people turned and ran, in sight of the identical Absol. A security officer drew his gun, "Put your hands up!" He yelled. Just before he fired, Amanda _did_ put her hands up, also closing her eyes. She focused on the spot where she and Adela had argued, and in a flash of blue light Josh, Sullivan, Carrie, both Absols, and herself teleported right to that area. The officer fired then, but it struck the wall where they had once been. Not a second later, a wave of blue light glided past them, and everyone in the hotel blinked their eyes.  
Amanda sighed, "I hate people." She muttered, opening her eyes. Adela was busy getting Josh out of his handcuffs, she was carefully slicing it in half with her Iron Tail. Grey sparks flew across the surface of the metal, leaping off the cuffs and into the ground. While Adela did Josh's, Amanda exploded the cuffs on Cory's wrists outwards, the handcuffs disassembling itself into hundreds of pieces and floating neatly above her. She let go, and the pieces fell to the ground.  
"Thanks Amanda." Cory said, rubbing his wrists. Josh ruffled Adela's fur, thanking her too. "Well, I suppose we should get to burying the body." Sullivan said. He looked around a brief moment, then cursed himself. "Forgot the shovel!" He said, throwing his arms up.  
Amanda smiled, "It's not a problem if you have me." She said a little smugly. She made a scoop with her hand, and made digging motions in the air. On the ground, dirt lifted away from the invisible scoop, making a nice hole in mere seconds. Sullivan gawked, "Is there anything you can't do?" He said, picking up the Absol's body. But as soon as he touched it, Adela snarled, leaping at him. Sullivan jumped back, his hands up. "Whoa, take it easy. We have to bury your friend here."  
Amanda put a hand on Adela, "That's the reason we came here. Adela wants a proper funeral."  
"Oh. Well, that's not a problem." Sullivan said sarcastically. "Just let me get the local priest, and hell I'll buy her a damn casket!"  
Adela growled, her eyes narrowing.  
"No, not that kind of funeral."  
Amanda sighed, sometimes it was so hard to communicate with humans. "This is an Absol. It's part of their tradition, part of Adela's at least, to hold a ritual." Josh appeared next to Amanda, slipping his hand in hers. "What kind of ritual?" He asked.  
"It's very sacred. In Adela's tribe, usually Absols kill other Absols. It's very rare if something or someone else were to kill an Absol. And so, if the person responsible for the Absols death is present, he or she has to cut off the Absol's horn." Amanda explained.  
"Oh..." Josh said, looking at the Absol.  
Amanda nodded, looking to Adela. "Do you want to do it now?" She asked. Adela shook her head, "Sol."  
"She says to wait until night. When the moon is up."  
Josh nodded, "Well, that shouldn't take long."  
The sun was already going down, half visible over the horizon. While everyone waited for the sun to go down, Adela, through Amanda, explained the entire ritual process. They were to gather everyone, and start preparing for the ritual. The Absol was outfitted with the most colorful flowers anyone could find, which wasn't much considering they were in a corn field. Josh and Sullivan brought in fragrances from the hotel, and they washed the Absol clean. By nightfall, torches were lit around the area of the funeral, fold-away chairs (taken from the hotel) were provided. Amanda put up a cloak around the area, so no one would see them. Finally, everything was done. They formed a rough circle around the Absol, Adela next to her. Josh stood to the right of her, Amanda to Adela's right. Behind them, the grave dropped down. Flowers were scattered around the bottom. Adela started the ritual, "Absol. Sol, Ab. Absol."  
"We all know why we are here." Amanda said. "Even though she was an enemy, a life is a life. May Arceus himself forgive our crimes. Her soul will be cleansed and redeemed, hopefully as a better being, and a better person. But we must set her to that journey, with the cutting of her horn. Only then can she find happiness once again in a new life."  
"Sol." Adela said, and Josh stepped up. He walked forward, to the dead Absol. In his hand, he clutched the same knife he used to kill her. Amanda found it for them, the hilt sticking out of the grass not some 50 feet away where Josh had thrown it on top of the balcony. Adela nodded, and backed away. Josh dropped down to one knee. He worked quickly, severing the Absol's horn from the small base that protruded out of her skull. It took him quite a while with the blade, the horn was as hard as the steel the blade was made from. He finally finished, dropping the knife and holding up the horn. It gleamed lowly in the torches light. Josh looked to Adela, who took over. "Ab, Absol. Sol. Ab."  
"And so, the horn has been severed. May her soul rest in peace, and in forgiveness. We bring her back into nature's caring arms, with her horn a remembrance of her life, and as passage to a new one." Amanda translated. Josh and Amanda lifted up the Absol, and lowered her into her grave. They stepped out of the grave, and Amanda filled in the hole, quickly and quietly.  
Bailey, who was sitting faithfully next to Carrie, cried out in mourning. It was loud and rich, and full of sadness. Tears spilled down Amanda's cheeks while she filled the grave. When she was done, Josh put an arm around her, and Amanda once more cried on someone's shoulder. Sullivan stood up, and took the makeshift grave marker Josh was planning to put in. It was simple wooden cross, bound together by leather string. Sullivan stuck it in, and stood up straight. He clicked his heels, and snapped a salute. Behind him, Carrie had also stood up, and mimicked Sullivan. Josh turned around, pulling himself away from Amanda, but still an arm around her. He did the same. Amanda was wiping away tears with one hand, but her other was on her forehead, in a salute.  
The only thing they could hear were Bailey's cries of sorrow.


	7. Chapter 15

It's finally here! Chapter 15. It took a bit longer than I had expected to write it all, I wanted to make it a little longer than it already is, but I didn't want to keep you guys waiting. You might want to re-read Chapter 14 to get in the mood, as it does take off right from the end of Chapter 14. So, enjoy! And don't forget to leave a review!  
WARNING: THE FOLLOWING CHAPTER DOES CONTAIN MILD SEXUAL THEMES, AND A LITTLE CURSING

(Chapter 15) The Battle for Japan

The small group stayed there for what seemed like an eternity. They stayed solid when Bailey had stopped, when a jetliner roared above them, taking off. It was Sullivan who lowered his hand first, and soon everyone followed. Nobody said a word, they communicated through the looks in their eyes, and the somber expression on their faces. Amanda put a permanent cloak on the Absol's grave and the grave marker, so nobody would disturb her. Josh and Sullivan grabbed the chairs, while Carrie put out the torches. Slowly, together, everyone walked back to the hotel. Once in the room, nobody acknowledged Cory, who was very confused as to why everyone just suddenly filed into the room, the same bland emotionless look in their eyes. They all went to their respective beds. Amanda, Josh, and Carrie on the bed, Adela at the foot. Bailey slept on the floor. Sullivan made a bed from the huge bathtub in the bathroom. They all fell asleep, (At least, it looked to Cory that they were) Cory wondering what the hell was going on, and why they were acting like robots. Once he realized he wasn't going to get an answer, he too went to bed on the couch.

In the morning, everyone got up at dawn, checked out, and took off. They said very little, Amanda and Adela hidden from prying eyes. The scratch on the wing was fixed, Cory had been working on it all day yesterday. It was when they finally got out of Malaysia that Cory broke the silence.  
"Alright. You mind telling me what's going on, and why nobody is saying anything?" Cory asked, looking to Josh. They were alone in the cockpit, the door firmly shut behind them. Before them, endless blue ocean expanded before them. It twinkled in the morning light. The sky was clear for now, but forecast said a big storm was forming over the South China Sea, as of which they were currently over. Josh sighed, "The Absol's dead. If you already haven't noticed."  
Cory nodded, "Hard to miss that cursing mutt." He said. "But I didn't think she'd be dead. I assumed you let her go."  
Josh shook his head, not returning Cory's gaze. "No... No. She's dead. Gone."  
"Well, what happened?" Cory asked, curious. He truly had no clue.  
Josh looked at Cory, his eyes boring into Cory's. His face was that of immense terror. "I slit her throat." He whispered.  
Cory only looked back with disbelief, both from Josh's expression and the fact that he killed her.  
"We had to do it. We knew she was a spy, Amanda picked up on Adela's anger. She searched both Absol's minds, and found out everything. But it doesn't make it any less horrific." Josh said, his voice cracking. "We had a funeral for her, that's why we were out so late. I had to be strong. Amanda was a mess, she took it the hardest. But the entire time I was there, I was numb from head to toe. Everyone was. Her screams reply over and over in my head, begging for the life I took away. Oh god, it was horrible. I didn't sleep at all last night, neither did Amanda."  
Cory still had that same shocked expression on his face. He sat there for at least 5 minutes, trying to think of what to say. "Josh, I... I know this is hard for you. Hell this is probably hard on everyone." He said, rubbing his eyes. "But we have to keep moving. Don't dwell in what you did, dwell in what you're going to do. You said that you had to do it. It was a hard decision, but it had to be done. Josh, it's time to grow up. People _are _going to die."  
Josh winced, the Absol's words echoed in his mind.  
"_What, you think people wouldn't die? Get your head out of your ass!" _How ironic.  
"Not if I can help it." Josh said, ending the conversation. Cory returned to his seat, looking out of the window.

While Josh and Cory flew, Amanda and Adela resumed English "classes". Basically, Amanda introduced a new word for Adela, who proceeded to try and say it. It was going pretty fast, Adela's face would scrunch up, trying to pronounce the vowels. Eventually, Adela could say whole sentences without too much trouble. Amanda would take a break then, telling Adela stories of when she herself were still learning how to speak. Amanda's eyes would sparkle, a smile always appeared when she told Adela these stories, back when the days were still good. Sullivan and Carrie would sit down and listen, they had nothing better to do.  
"Alright, the next word is..." Amanda thought for a second, "Generator."  
Adela looked back with a puzzled look, "What is that?" It was weird hearing her speak. Because Adela was still very young, it was like hearing a little girl speak.  
"It's a word used to define something that creates... Uh, something. Like, an electric generator. Try it."  
Adela's face crunched up, "Jen-er-a... Sol." She managed. Amanda smiled, "It's always the T's that get you. Say: tor."  
"Sol."  
Amanda shook her head. "Tor."  
"Tol."  
"You almost got it. Tor."  
"...Tor."  
"Alright, now generator."  
"Genera-Tor."  
"That's it. Keep on saying it until it gets comfortable, then we'll try out sentences with it." Amanda said, leaning back. Adela resumed to repeat "Generator" over and over. She put big emphasis on the "Tor" part, like she was spitting watermelon seeds. Carrie sat down next to Amanda, she had been checking on Bailey. "Making good progress with her." She said.  
Amanda nodded, "Yeah. She's a fast learner, faster than me."  
"So I've heard." Carrie said, leaning back on the seat with Amanda.  
"How's Bailey?"  
"She's healing fine. It's a matter of regaining her strength. We'll start physical therapy when we get to Japan."  
"It was that bad?"  
Carrie nodded, "Yeah. That damn branch tore up a lot of muscle in her abdomen. She won't be running anytime soon."  
"Well at least she'll be able to run again, no permanent damage."  
"True. Say, how have you and Josh been doing? Had some fun out in the city?" Carrie said with a wink. Amanda laughed, "We didn't do anything like that. We couldn't even get to the city. Me and Josh stopped at some racetrack and met Caspian Mettal."  
"Who's that?"  
"Some legendary race car driver. It was boring to be honest. But I had a little fun."  
"Well, glad to know somebody got something out of that horrible place." Carrie said.  
Amanda turned solemn, the smile fading from her lips.  
"Yeah." She tried to avoid Carrie's gaze, her eyes reminded her too much of the Absol's.  
"Hey." Carrie said.  
Amanda turned her head up, looking into those emerald eyes that were not quite dark enough to be called so. "We did what we had to do. Everyone feels like crap about it, sure. But I'm sure more than just that Absol would've died if we let her live."  
"Ready."  
Amanda turned at the sound of Adela's voice. She still wasn't used to it, it was such a big leap from Adela's native language voice. When Adela spoke in the Pokemon language, it was like a mix between a shout and a bark. She sounded mature when she spoke in her native language. You could still hear her voice in it, and determine if it was female or not, but all the same it was nothing like her speaking English. Amanda leaned forward, dropping the subject about the Absol.  
"Alright. One more time. Generator."  
"Generator."  
Amanda nodded, "Good. Now in a sentence. Jerry cranked on the generator." Amanda said, trying to integrate in words Adela had already learned.  
"...Jerry sol on the generator."  
"Really close. But try it without the sol."  
"Jerry...crankted on the generator."  
"Nice. Like last time, keep saying it until you feel comfortable with it." Adela nodded, then started repeating the sentence. Carrie had gotten up while Amanda taught Adela, returning to her place next to Bailey's side. Bailey was purring, she put her head on Carrie's lap. Carrie smiled, stroking the big cat's head. Outside, the storm clouds they had seen earlier disappeared. They broke into nothingness, the sun shining through. It was a beautiful day over the water.  
Amanda was in mid-sentence, about to tell Adela not to confuse "See" with "Lee". To everyone else in the room, Adela had just said "Sol." But then again no one else knew the Pokemon language. She had her finger up, "Don't confuse "See" with-" She stopped, her mouth still open. Adela cocked her head, "What is wrong?" She asked. Amanda wasn't sure, she heard _something._ She couldn't tell what it was. It was like listening to a radio with bad reception, except in her head. "You can't hear it?" Amanda asked.

Adela shook her head, "I don't hear any-thing." She said. Adela looked back, to Sullivan and Carrie. Carrie shrugged, Sullivan shook his head. Amanda got up, rushing to the window looking out. "There it is!" She said, pointing. Everyone got up to see what she was pointing at.  
At first, no one saw anything. Then, an enormous fin emerged out of the water. It was blue, craggy and covered in barnacles. Sullivan laughed, "It's a whale! They use sonar, you must've picked it up." The owner of the enormous tail emerged out of the water, spouting out a jet of water. To them, the whale was tiny, they were so high up. Amanda laughed, "He says hello!" she said. She waved out from the window, "Hello whale!" She said.  
The whale cried out in return, everyone hearing it this time. He almost seemed to smile at them, and then he was gone, back under the water. Everyone smiled, returning to their seats. "Alright, I think that's enough for today. We'll resume more when we get to Japan." Amanda said, laying full out on the seat. Adela didn't argue, putting her head in between her paws on the floor of the aircraft. Amanda drifted to sleep, the steady rumbling of the engines lulling her to sleep.

It was dawn when they got radio contact. Josh had his hands casually on the stick, making tiny changes every now and then. The autopilot did most of the work, but Josh kept his eyes on the instrument panel, making sure all engines were running properly. He was worried about #4 engine, it wasn't quite keeping up with the others. He had to constantly feed the engine cool oil and coolant to keep it at the pace he set, running the hot oil through the other three engine's oil coolers to bring the temperature back down, and feed it back into #4 engine. Not only that, they were running desperately low on fuel. Josh had to tone the engines down to 25% throttle, setting the wings so they would glide more than fly. Cory helped him through this, he knew a lot more about flying than Josh did. He brought out a GPS thermal device, to detect waves of hot air in the atmosphere. With this, the plane could ride these natural boosters of hot air. It was a trick Cory picked up when he spent his days on a glider. Although, because the plane was so heavy, it didn't help too much. But, any help was appreciated. Josh jumped when the radio crackled to life. Cory looked up, "Oh, finally. I got it, you answer the radio." Cory said, taking control of the plane. Josh unbuckled himself, sliding out of the seat and crawling to the navigators chair. He unhooked the com from it's place, pressing down the button. "Uh, this is Flight 0-3-1. Does anyone read, over?"  
"Afternoon, Flight 0-3-1. May I ask what the hell you're doing over a military no-fly zone, over?"  
"Oh, well I mean there's no signs up here. We had no idea, over."  
"Aren't you using a navigation system? Your computer must've made a mistake, it would've automatically avoided this area. Over."  
"This old thing doesn't have a navigation computer, excluding autopilot. All we have is a map and a compass, over."  
"What? What the hell are you flying, over?"  
"We're in a restored WWII bomber, headed for Japan, over."  
A moment of silence, then the operator replied. "Are you crazy? You can't fly to Japan, there's a war going on!"  
Josh's brows furrowed, "I didn't get that clearly. Did you say a _war?_"  
"Yes! Have you been living under a rock? Look, two F-35's have been dispatched to your general location. They'll guide you out of this, and back to the mainland. Over."  
"Hold on, who am I speaking to?"  
"This is the USS Nimitz, along with her escort."  
Cory looked back with confusion on his face. He had been hearing the whole thing. "What the hell is going on?" Josh only shrugged back.  
"What are you doing all the way out here? Over." Josh said into the com.  
"What else? We're here to support the Marines in Japan. Over."  
"_What? _Hold on, _the U.S_ is at war with Japan? Again?"  
"Where have you been the past 6 months? The whole world is at war! The U.S has been invaded by Russia! And then Japan decides to attack! Look, you'll be informed about this once you're on land, but right now you need to turn back _IMMEDIATELY,_ one of our subs have been cleared to-" The connection cut off, replaced by static.  
"Nimitz? Nimitz, do you copy? One of your subs have been cleared to what? Nimitz!"  
No reply, just static. "Dammit!" Josh said, slamming the com back into it's hook. Cory was looking back with worry, "What do you think they're going to do?"  
"I don't know. But we're about to find out." Josh said, turning a dial on the bulky radio. The static swayed as Josh changed the frequency, clips of voices coming in, then blinking out. Josh stopped until he got a solid message, which came as follows, "FLIGHT 0-3-1. TURN BACK IMMEDIATELY, AND HEAD FOR THE MAINLAND. ESCORTS HAVE BEEN DISPATCHED TO GUIDE YOU BACK. REPEAT, FLIGHT 0-3-1." It repeated over and over, until Josh switched it off.  
"Well? Should we head back?" Josh asked.  
Cory only shrugged, "I have no idea to go from here. We have to rely on those two F-35's for guidance. But I don't see them."  
He said, searching out of the window.  
"What about that GPS thing?" Josh asked, returning to his seat. He looked out the window with Cory.  
Cory shook his head. "It's no good for real navigation. It only has a range of 50 miles." Up ahead, Japan loomed over the horizon, a green speck in the ocean of blue. A fog floated over the country, obscuring just the coastline of the mass of land. There was a knock on the door, and Amanda entered the cockpit. "What's going on? I see Japan, but something isn't right about it." She said, looking over Josh's shoulder.  
"Yeah, well apparently while we were away the entire world decided to go to war. Again." Amanda's eyes widened, "Another war? I thought everyone was allies with everyone."  
"Apparently not." Josh said somberly. The radio crackled behind them, clips of a voice winked in and out. Josh got out of his seat and rushed to the radio, grabbing the com. He tuned the frequency just a bit, until the message came out clear. "Flight 0-3-1, do you copy? Flight 0-3-1, repeat, do you copy?"  
Josh pressed the button on the com, "This is flight 0-3-1. We have you, over. Who is this?"  
"This is Eagle 1-9-2. Me and Eagle 1-9-1 have been given orders to escort you out of here. We have visual contact on you. Can you see us, over?"  
Josh looked over his shoulder to Cory, who gave him a thumbs up. "I see them. They're on our right, about 500 feet below is." He pointed to the two grey jets, armed to the teeth with rockets and bombs. They left behind a trail of exhaust, the enormous turbojet engines glowing with power. Josh could see the pilot inside wave to them from the large bubble canopy.  
"Copy that Eagle 1-9-2. We see you, over."  
"Roger. Stick with us and-" He cut off, as if someone interrupted the pilot. A moment of silence over the radio waves. He spoke up, but it sounded like he had pushed the mic away, as if talking to someone else. "What? But sir, they're right the-" Another moment of silence. "Yes sir. Yes sir." The pilot audibly sighed over the com, and his voice came into the mic again. "I'm sorry Flight 0-3-1, we've been given orders from high command to turn back. There's nothing we can do. God bless you. Over and out."  
"What?! Hold on-"  
The two F-35's snapped to the left, and blasted past the bomber. They were gone before Josh could slam the com back into it's holster.  
"What now?" Amanda asked, her voice full of worry.  
"We're still going to Japan. Screw the U.S Navy, for all we know this could be a bunch of crap Aguire set them up to do. Cory?"  
He looked up. Josh was surprised, Cory seemed genuinely scared. He had never seen Cory lose his cool.  
"Yeah?" He asked weakly.  
"Keep course for Japan. We're landing there if they like it or not." Josh said firmly.  
Cory nodded, and set to his task.  
Josh walked out of the cockpit, to face everyone in the cargo hold. He faced them, "Alright everyone, it seems we've run into some trouble. Apparently WWIII has started." A gasp from Carrie, her hand over her mouth. "We just got radio contact from the USS Nimitz, a U.S carrier stationed to support troops currently in Japan. They sent out some escorts to lead us away from the fighting, but for unknown reasons they just abandoned us."  
"So what now?" Sullivan asked.  
"We're staying true to our original plan. We're going to land in Japan, away from the fighting if we can. Hopefully they won't shoot us down. We have weapons, so we can fight back if necessary. But I can't guarantee that this will be safe."  
Just as Josh said this, the entire plane shook, knocking Josh off his feet.  
He heard Cory swear, "Josh! I need you!"  
Josh got back to his feet, and rushed back into his seat. Amanda was sitting in the navigator's seat, holding on to anything that was solid. "Amanda! Get on the front gun! Everyone to their defensive positions!" Josh shouted over his shoulder. Amanda crawled past Josh, climbing into the front turret. He heard that familiar _"Clack!"_as she loaded the gun, and another one as Carrie did the same from the remote turret on the fuselage. The air suddenly got very rough, winds buffing them left and right. Cory and Josh fought for control, to keep the bomber from rolling over. "Oh my god." Josh heard Amanda say. He glanced out the window, but returned his eyes to the instrument panel.  
Wait, hold on a second. Josh returned his eyes to the windshield, and his mouth dropped open.  
Before them, millions upon millions of rounds blasted out of the side of Japan, all of them headed to what looked like China. China returned fire in exchange. Rockets fired, explosions erupted from each side. It was like an enormous long-range firefight, like two pirate ships locked into cannon fire. In the air, jets shot down others, most of them maneuvering radically to be avoided getting shot. Some got hit by a stray bullet being fired from the two sides of land. They were at least 30,000 feet into the air, but yet Josh could see individual brass rounds screaming it's way across the water. "My god. Those things must be the size of a bus." He heard Cory say.  
This snapped Josh out of the horrible firefight. He regained control, and tilted the stick towards the expanse of land. The bomber responded, rolling to the right, away from Japan.  
"Josh? What are you doing?" Cory said, but not fighting.  
"Japan is no longer an option. We aren't flying into that hell." He said, his face set.  
"What else is there?"  
"We're going back to the U.S."  
"What?! We can't go back! Aguire will kill us!" Cory cried.  
"No. No more running." Josh said, his eyes staring into Cory's. They were orbs of brown steel, flashing in the light. "We're stopping this. I've had it with this shit. They're fighting because of us."  
"How can you know that? Maybe Russia really did invade the U.S!"  
"I know it because I know it's something Aguire will do. This is exactly him."  
"Are you saying that Aguire was the person that started WWIII?"  
"Yes. Remember what the Absol said? Aguire hijacked a _Russian_ satellite. He's probably good pals with Russia. He probably set this whole thing up."  
"But why would he do that? That doesn't make any sense! Why would he start another World War?"  
"To get to us."  
"That's ridiculous."  
"Which is why I'm sure Aguire is behind this."  
"And if you're wrong? If Aguire has done nothing?"  
"We still kill him."  
"Josh, you're not thinki-"  
Josh shot him a glare, "We're going. With or without you." He said sternly.  
Cory sighed, defeated. "Alright, fine. But how will we get to the U.S? We barely have any fuel to get to a stopping point, let alone halfway around the world."  
"Amanda, do you still remember where we live?" Josh asked, while Cory looked at him with disapproval.  
"Of course I do!" She responded. He heard her dismount, and her head appeared at his feet. "Why?"  
"We're going back."  
Amanda's nodded knowingly, it didn't take her long to figure out what's going on.  
"Is it because of how bad Japan is?"  
"Yeah. Update everyone else."  
Amanda nodded, climbed back past Josh, and disappeared through the doorway. The door clicked behind him.  
"What does Amanda have to do with this?" Cory asked, the same look of disapproval on his face.  
"Simple. After you store the bomber, Amanda will teleport us back to the states."  
Cory sighed, "Fine. Better than being shot down I guess." He said. He started setting new coordinates, but was stopped by Josh. "No need. We're doing this by hand. Once we're over land, we'll land. No landing strip, no airport."  
"Seriously? Do you have any idea how much strain that'll put on the landing gear?"  
"What's better? Being shot down, or risking more bent propellers?"  
Cory almost retorted back with something smart, but held his tongue. To their right, the battle of Japan raged onward. He was tracing individual rounds, when he saw an enormous missile blast out of the water. Cory saw a glimpse of black, and suddenly it clicked.  
That was a U.S. submarine. All U.S. subs have nuclear weapons. They've been cleared to nuke Japan.  
Suddenly his eyes widened, "Oh, shit!" Cory cried, and jerked the stick left, so that the bomber was behind Japan. He set jerked the throttle for all four engines to max.  
"What the hell are you-" Josh was cut off as a searing white light filled the sky. Shadows leapt from him, and an enormous shock wave rear-ended the aircraft. The nose went down, the twin tails rising into the sky. It flipped over, everyone in the fuselage thumping onto the roof and screaming. Josh and Cory lost control, the aircraft starting to spin wildly in the air, tossed in the blazing white light. A thunderous boom filled the sky, drowning out their screams, the whining of the overworked engines. "_AMANDA!_" Josh screamed in his head. "_HOLD US IN THE AIR!_"

It apparently got through, because all of a sudden everything stopped spinning. They were suspended in air, still upside down. Josh hung from his seat, and shook his head, clearing away the wild panic that had took over his mind. "Can you flip us back over?" Josh yelled in his voice.  
No reply, but slowly, the aircraft tilted, until Josh could properly sit in his seat again. Behind them, the blinding white light had decreased to an enormous grey, black, and red fire cloud, shooting up into the air. Josh felt Amanda let go, the aircraft dared to almost stall again, but Cory and Josh managed to keep themselves upright. Once they were flying normally again, Josh unbuckled from his seat, and opened the door. What he saw he did not like. Sullivan was staring out the window, looking at the pillar of death that floated over the island of Japan. "My god. It's happening again." He said, his eyes haunted. Amanda was soothing Carrie, who was crying into her shoulder. Bailey and Adela stood together, looking uneasy. Bailey looked like she was in pain, her stitches must've reopened while they tumbled through the air. "Is everyone alright?" Josh said weakly. He already new that answer, of course no one was "alright". They had just seen millions of people die in an instant. Josh grimaced, closing the door and walking back to his seat. Cory was staring out the window with wide eyes, his mouth open. "I can't believe they just did that. Is this happening?" He said, turning around and staring at Josh. He nodded slowly, his eyes straight forward. He made a wide arc, setting himself back on course.  
"Josh? Are you not seeing what I'm seeing?"  
No reply.  
"Josh. Answer me." Cory said. His voice cracked.  
"Yes. I am."  
"Do you not care tha-"  
"_Of course I care, it was my fault!" _Josh practically screamed at Cory.  
Cory jumped in his seat, shying away from Josh. He closed his eyes, sighing. "Josh. Look at me." Cory said, opening his eyes again.  
Josh flicked his eyes towards him, not moving his head.  
"You have no reason to believe me, but none of this is your fault, or ever will be. I know what's going through your head-"  
Josh put a hand up, stopping Cory. "You know _nothing_ of what's going through my head right now." He said coldly. "Your wrong, this is my fault. Those people out there, dead or dying, they are because of me. But I can live with that. But I _won't, _I _will not, _stand for more deaths by my hand, however indirect. I'm going to kill Aguire, even if it means the destruction of the entire goddamn country!" His voice raised to a shout, Cory only looking at him. "I will bring justice to our misery, and the misery of those people that just died! THERE WILL BE _NO MORE DEATH!"_ He shouted the last sentence at the top of his lungs, even the rumble of the engines were momentarily drowned out. Conversation that was going on in the back had ceased. The only sound was the engines. Josh turned back to the instrument panel, flicking a series of switches. There was a noticeable lurch as he switched his control over to the autopilot. He unbuckled himself, and walked out of the cockpit.

Josh clicked the door closed, everyone staring at him. Amanda especially, she was looking at him with worry. Adela walked up to him, and nudged his hand. He offered a weak smile, and patted her head. She smiled, putting her head in his hand.  
"Amanda, we need to talk." Josh said, walking to her. She stood up with him.  
"Okay, well we can go in the back-"  
"No. Just... Teleport us somewhere's. Private, if you can." Josh said, rubbing his temples with his thumbs. Amanda looked over to everyone else. Sullivan nodded, "Go on. Just be sure to come back, okay?"  
Amanda nodded, and looked to Josh. He waved her to proceed. Amanda closed her eyes, and in a flash of blue light they vanished from the aircraft. Blue and white blurred together, and as sudden as they had been standing on a moving aircraft they were on solid ground, high grass tickling Josh's ankles. Josh looked around, drinking in the view.  
"We're back at the island." Amanda said. She crossed her arms, looking at him with caution. "What did you want to talk about?"  
Josh sighed, "Amanda, you saw what happened. A lot of people just died. A fucking lot of them."  
"I know Josh, and it's horrible. But we... We have to keep going. Even more people will die if we let Aguire live." Amanda said. She knew where this was going. Her ruby eyes were large, starting to fill up with tears. She looked at Josh pleadingly, as if to say: _D__on't do this. Don't do this to me._  
"I know, I know that. We will get him. We are going to get him. But this must _never _happen again. Do you understand?"  
She nodded. Even though she knew what he was going to say next, she asked anyways. "What are you saying?"  
"Amanda... After all of this... After the world is back to normal, I mean. I... I have to send you back. The world isn't ready for this. For you."  
There it was. She knew he was going to say it, but her tears didn't listen. They started running down her cheek, her ruby eyes looking at him, _pleading _at him.  
Josh went to her, gently lifting her face to his with his thumb curled around her chin.  
"Please Josh..."  
"Amanda. Don't make this harder than it already is." He said, his face set. But she knew under that exterior, he was crying out in anguish. He was battling the part that loved her, a fierce battle raging on in his heart. Bigger than the one that was going on right now.

"Why can't I stay? We can live away from it all, away from all of these horrible people."  
Josh shook his head, "No. No. You know it Amanda, this isn't meant to be."  
Amanda shook her head, taking a step back. "No, no!" She said fiercely. "I don't want to leave! I can't leave! I know you created me, and I kind of have to do anything you tell me to, but I.. Can't do this! Josh, I wanted to tell you this later, but all of this has gone by so quickly, and-"  
"Hold on, tell me what?" He asked. He wasn't expecting this. He expected her to be sad about it, of course. But he knew that she had to do whatever he told her. It was literally in her nature. He even felt a little guilty about using this to his advantage. But he couldn't risk anymore innocent lives.  
"Josh, I..." Her eyes darted around on the ground, trying to hold it in. Tears fell freely from her eyes.  
"You're what?"  
"I can't do this, it's not the ri-"  
"Tell me what?" He said, his voice rising.  
"No, no no I can't tell him! You're not so sure yourself, if-"  
"Tell me!" Josh shouted, walking to her and grabbing her by the shoulders.  
She looked him dead in the eye, her ruby eyes still leaking tears. "I'm... I'm pregnant." She sighed, her head drooping.  
Josh only looked at her with confusion, not understanding. He cocked his head, "What?"  
"Josh, I'm sorry, and I'm not sure myself, but-"  
"You're pregnant? Baby and everything?"  
She nodded, still stumbling on. "Well yes, but like I said I'm not sure, but I swear to you Josh I didn't sleep with anyone else, it just kind of happened out of nowhere and-" He put a finger on her lips, effectively shushing her. "Calm down." Josh said gently, his voice soothing her.  
He put took his finger off, "Now, explain slowly what you're trying to tell me."  
Amanda took a breath, closing her eyes. She opened them and began, "Okay. Josh, I think I'm pregnant. That's right, a baby. And everything. I'm not sure about it, but every now and then my stomach would cramp up for no reason, so on. I can also sense _something_. It's very, very faint, but I can sense something within me." She said.  
"Well, show me." Josh said.  
"What do you mean?"  
"I mean lift up your shirt, let me see your stomach."  
Her cheeks turned red, but she lifted her dress up anyways, exposing her pale white stomach. A belly button protruded from the center. Josh walked up to her and put a hand around the slight bulge it had. He leaned in and put an ear to her stomach. He stayed like that for a while, then stood up. Amanda put her shirt back down, looking at him with embarrassment and anticipation. "Well?"  
"Well, you're pregnant. There's no doubt about it, I could hear another set of heartbeats."  
Amanda sighed in relief, "Oh, that's wonderful." She said, smiling.  
"It also means that we have to raise him. Or her." Josh said. "I can't send you back. Not with a baby on the way."  
Amanda nodded, "You were never planning to send me back, were you?"  
Josh sighed, "... No. I'm sorry about that. I did it again. I took out my stress and anger on you."  
Amanda smiled, "It's natural. I don't mind, because I always cheer you up afterwards." She said, walking to him and taking his hand.  
"Seriously Amanda. I really am sorry for all of this. I've been a shitty trainer to you, and a shitty boyfriend."  
She only smiled, putting her arms around him, her face next to his. "Well then make it up to me." She whispered, a wink in her eye.  
"Amanda!" Josh cried out in protest as she pushed him down to the ground with her weight. She was on top of him, her arms locked around his neck, pressing her lips into his.

It was about an hour afterwards when Amanda and Josh got back. Their hair and clothes were in disarray, a set back almost high expression on Josh's face. He walked into the cockpit, and shut the door. Amanda, on the other hand, was smiling triumphantly, hand-combing her hair back into order and smoothing down her dress. Carrie flopped down next to her, a grin on her face and a glint in her emerald eyes. "So you got some, huh?" She said mischievously.  
"Carrie!" Amanda laughed, playfully pushing her. Her cheeks turned red.  
"Comon, don't spare the details!" Carrie said, laughing herself. She wasn't serious, of course.  
"Well, we talked about stuff. He was upset, he wasn't thinking straight. Again. He said that once we're done with Aguire, he was going to send me back. To stop this from happening again." Amanda said, a smile still on her face.  
Carrie looked at her, "He wasn't serious was he?"  
"No. Like I said, he was upset. I knew one day he would give me that talk. It's one of those things that I really fear out of Josh. That he would mistreat me, influenced by that temper of his."  
"But that's when you have to fight back! If he does something like that, you could easily stop him." Carrie said, a little bewildered by the calmness in her voice. It was as though she accepted it.  
But Amanda shook her head, regarding Carrie with her ruby eyes. "No. I'm tied to Josh, he's my master and I'm his servant. I'm obliged by my nature to do anything he says, no matter what. It's the same for Adela, although it's a little weaker for her."  
Carrie was floored. She honestly didn't realize the obvious connection between them. "And... And you're totally fine with this?"  
Amanda nodded, "Of course. This doesn't hinder our love for another, it's just a tiny inconvenience that I have no true power over him. Sure, I can still be me, and I can still do almost anything I want. But it all boils down to his decision. Back at the airport, I asked Josh if we could go to the city. If he would've said no, then I couldn't do anything about it."  
Carrie stared at her with a mix of wonder and pity. "And you still love him, even through all of this?"  
Amanda smiled, "Of course I do. He's literally the bane of my existence. It seems only fair that he's my master."  
"I'm sorry, it just seems a bit... Odd, is all. I'm just so used to being free, to be able to do anything I want. I can't imagine being restricted like that."  
Amanda laughed, "I can still do anything I want. He's not mean or anything, he hardly ever says no. When he does it's when I ask for something over-the-top, like going to the city, or going to school with him. But that's because he was protecting me. And once, he did let me go to school with him. I had to wipe everyone's memories afterwards, but I still went. And it was amazing... All of those people, learning new things, being able to talk about it... It's wonderful." Amanda said, her eyes far away, dreaming.  
Carrie looked at her with that same look of bewilderment. "My god, I don't think I've seen anyone so passionate about school!"  
Amanda laughed, "Well at least I went to school! What have you done, played with your wittle lion for five years?" Amanda said sarcastically.  
"Hey, I've been to school. I hated it! Part of the reason I ran away in the first place. School doesn't teach you how to hunt a rabbit, now does it?"  
"Unless you plan on living in a jungle, nobody's ever going to use that!"  
"You never know, it could come handy when your fast-food joint closes down!" Carrie said, cackling laughter.  
Amanda scoffed, "I've never even had fast food! If you must know, I've never even had meat."  
Carrie stopped mid-laugh. "Seriously?"  
Amanda shook her head. "No. I don't eat meat, mostly fruit or vegetables."  
Carrie gasped. "Oh my god. You poor soul. You have no idea what you're missing out on."  
Amanda smirked, "Thanks but no thanks. All bloody, and stuff, yuck."  
"Oh and I suppose eating the flesh of a plant's children is just as good?"  
"Part of the food chain." Amanda said smugly, her arms across her chest and her head high.  
"I'm so getting you a steak once we get on land." Carrie said.  
Adela appeared, attracted to the talk about food. "Did someone say steak?" She had learned English insanely quickly. She still had a lot to go, but everyone could now talk to her freely, with little hiccups in conversation every now and then.  
Carrie smiled, stroking Adela's mane. "Yeah, once we get on land we're going to find some fancy restaurant and all order steaks."  
Adela looked at her, then to Amanda. "But Amanda doesn't eat meat." She said. Her vocal chords were starting to get comfortable with speaking, and as a result her voice had toned down quite a bit. She now sounded as old as Amanda, no more kid voice.  
"Oh, we're going to change that. Aren't we, Amanda?" Carrie said, winking at her.  
Amanda laughed, "No, we aren't. I told you, I'm not going to eat meat. Not now, not ever."  
"Yeah. Amanda's a Gardevoir. They don't eat meat."  
"That's so stereotypical! Amanda can eat meat if she chooses!"  
Amanda shook her head. "Except I won't. Sorry, I'm a vegan. No meat for me."  
Carrie turned to Adela, "Can you believe this girl? Won't eat meat... That's like saying you don't like to be happy." She said, crossing her arms.  
Adela shrugged. "Some do, some don't. A lot of Pokemon don't eat meat. Most don't have the teeth or claws for it. Amanda has a choice for either really, because she can use her Psychic powers to hunt. But, they chose not to. Don't ask why."  
"Humph. What about you Adela? Please tell me you eat meat."  
Adela smiled, showing off her fangs. "Of course I do. Nice and raw." Amanda stuck her tongue out, grossed by all the talk of meat. She left them, walking into the cockpit with Josh.  
"What was it like back then?" Carrie asked, curious.  
"Hm? What do you mean?"  
"I mean what was it like before you were created by Josh?"  
"Oh. One of all I wasn't created by Josh. It was my own choice, I forced my way into this world."  
"Oh. Sorry."  
"Anyway, before I was caught by Josh, I had my own little clan. We hunted in packs everyday, catching anything that we could find. We all returned back to the little home we had, it was far off into the mountains. We would feed the little ones first, and pick off anything that was left. We didn't eat a whole lot, but it was enough."  
Carrie nodded. "Did you have anyone special?"  
Adela shook her head. "No. My father was strict, even after I could take care of myself. The males didn't really like me either, they always kept at a distance. The ones who did try were shot down by my father, or me. But after I was caught, I was introduced to a male Aggron."  
"Aggron? What's that?"  
"Aggron are creatures covered in iron armor. I guess you could say they're... Iron dinosaurs."  
"And you had the hots for one?"  
Adela smiled, "No. He had the hots on me. I was a little reluctant at first, but I warmed up to him."  
"Did you guys ever... You know?" Carrie said, a grin on her face.  
Adela turned red as she understood what she meant. She shook her head furiously, "No! No, we never did anything. I never had the chance to get to know him more. I liked him as a friend, even though I knew he liked me more than that. Looking back, I... I should've given him a chance." Adela said, looking down.  
Carrie's brows furrowed. "Why say that?"  
"After Amanda was taken, it sent a wave through the entire region. Everyone gained consciousness of what they were, and where they were. It drove everyone on my team insane, except Aggron and me. We all had a bit of consciousness, sure. I can still clearly remember my father's face, the little ring he had clipped on his horn. My little sister who hated me for being a pack leader. But nothing like this. I found the source of where this wave came from, and I almost convinced Aggron to come with me. I begged him to come with me, but he stayed put. He said a death here was better than a death out there. I hate him for it, but... He wasn't wrong." Adela said, dropping her head. Her face consorted to it's usual expression: eyes half-closed, her lips in a grimace. She always looked so sad. So tired. So defeated.

Carrie remained silent, then suddenly grabbed Adela, wrapping her arms around Adela's neck and burying her face in Adela's mane. "Carrie!" Adela said, surprised by the outburst of affection. She tried to back away, but Carrie clung onto her.  
"I know that this world seems to be nothing but pain and misery, but Adela don't you dare quit on me!" She cried, her voice muffled in Adela's fur.  
"No matter what, we have to keep moving onward! We have to keep going, because there's always a bright light at the end! There always is! I swear to you!"  
Adela pushed back, Carrie letting go. She saw that Carrie was crying, looking at her with her emerald eyes. She wiped them away, sniffing.  
"I almost lost Bailey back there. I'm not going to lose you too." Adela said nothing, just stood away from her, eyes down and her expression unchanged.  
"I'm afraid you're too late." Adela said, barely audible. With that she stood up and left, walking into the rear turret gunner. Away from everyone. Away from the memory of Aggron looking at her pleadingly, begging her to stay with him. Away from the pain of going through. Away from the agony in her paw.

Amanda jolted in her seat. A sharp pain went through her head. Josh looked back, regarding her with curiosity. "Everything alright?" He asked over his shoulder.  
Amanda shook her head, "No, something's off... I think it's-" She looked behind her, and stopped. Everything was covered in black smoke. She couldn't even see the door. It pulsed with a dark energy, stripes of purple and red squirmed and writhed in the black aura. "Holy crap. Josh are you seeing this?"  
She turned her head, only to see Josh shake his. "No. I don't see anything, other than the door leading out. What's wrong?"  
Amanda forgot, only she could see people's moods, and auras. "There's a huge black aura, it's so thick I can't even see the door."  
Josh's brows furrowed. "That can't be good. Can you check it out? I'm kind of busy here."  
Amanda smiled, "No problem. It's not like it can hurt me." She reached her hand out. Instantly the black pulsing aura receded from her touch, exposing the doorknob. She turned it, and the door opened, only to reveal the same black aura. "Jeez. Who's aura is this?" She stopped, closing her eyes. She checked everyone, only to find none of it were there's. Carrie did seem a little unhappy though.  
"Amanda? You okay? Just... Standing there." It was Sullivan. Amanda turned her head to the sound of the voice, "I'm fine. I just can't... See anything." She felt Sullivan's mood shift from comfortable to mild confusion and worry.  
"What happened? You went blind or somethin'?"  
"It's... Complicated. Have you seen Adela? I noticed she wasn't in the room."  
His mood shifted to more confusion and worry. "I thought you said you couldn't see anything?"  
Amanda smiled, "I can't, but I didn't sense her presence. Did she go in the back?"  
"Yeah, she uh, did. She seems a little upset though. Carrie got her worked up."  
"I see. Could you... Direct me there? I still can't see, and I don't want to trip over anything."  
"Uh.. Okay." She heard him get up, and soon he appeared from the wall of pulsing black. He took her hand, and he led her through the fuselage, and to the little crawl space. As he did this, the black aura intensified, to the point where she couldn't even see her own hands. "It's right here. Just crawl on through, and Adela should be there. Not like she can be anywhere's else..." He grumbled. She felt him let go of her hand, and walk away. After a bit of poking around, she found the crawl space and went through. The aura dissipated, and she could see Adela. She had her hind legs tucked underneath her, her head resting on her front paws. The usual Adela sitting position. Amanda smiled, "You got a big black aura. What's wrong?"  
Adela regarded her with casual crimson eyes, but she said nothing.  
Amanda crawled in some more, and sat down next to Adela. There wasn't a whole lot of room, but the view made up for the lack of space. The sun had turned burnt orange, turning the water into a sea of fire. Far behind them, a wall of grey surrounded what must be Japan. Amanda winced, she tried to avoid looking at that mess. An expanse of greenery stretched out to Amanda's left, and to her right endless ocean. "This world never ceases to amaze me. Just look at that view." Amanda said, staring out of the glass enclosure.  
"I want to go home." Adela finally said. She converted to the Pokemon language.  
Amanda looked to her, away from the view. "Is that what's bothering you? You're homesick?"  
Adela shook her head, "No. MY home, back in the mountains of Hoenn. Back with my family."  
Amanda sighed. She knew Adela was eventually going to get like this. She herself had once longed to be back with her own family, after all.  
"Adela. They're gone. Everyone is gone. It's just you, and me."  
Adela looked to her, her crimson eyes glowing in the fading light. "I don't care if there's no one left. I want to go home. I'm sick of this place. The filth that inhabit this world, the pain. All the pain!" Adela spat.  
Amanda only looked at her calmly. "Fine. You want to go home?"  
Adela nodded curtly.  
"Alright. Come with me." She stood up as much as she could, and crawled back through to the fuselage, Adela right behind her. The aura had disappeared, she could finally see again. Amanda signaled Adela to wait, and Amanda walked into the cockpit.  
"Find out what's with the black stuff?" Josh asked over his shoulder.  
Amanda nodded. "I'm going to be gone for awhile. Just thought you should know." Amanda said over the rumble of the engines.  
"Where you going?"  
"Someplace special. To teach Adela a lesson. I'll talk to you about it afterwards."  
Josh nodded, "Alright. Don't be too long, we're landing soon. Don't strain yourself either, it's going to take a bit to teleport everyone into America."  
Amanda nodded in return, and closed the door. She walked to Adela, standing glumly in front of the crawl space. "Ready?"  
"As I'll ever be."  
Amanda sighed, she really wanted to punch Adela right now. "How exactly are we going to get home?" Adela asked, a bit skeptical.  
"Easy. Teleport there."  
Adela looked at her with doubt. "Right. And I'm Arceus."  
"Don't underestimate me. I can do it. But I promise you, you won't like what you'll see. Do you still want to go?"  
"What do you think?"  
"Fine." Amanda said, closing her eyes. She concentrated on the spot where she had been last in that version of reality. She felt the familiar sensation of her body getting ready to teleport, although it she had to push hard. She pushed until she felt something give way, as if pushing against a heavy door. The door swung open, and in a flash of brilliant blue and purple light, Adela and Amanda teleported back into their world of reality.

In Adela's eyes, all she could see was nothing but a blue blur. In Amanda's eyes, the picture in her mind grew stronger, as they materialized into the world of Pokemon. It grew stronger, Amanda squeezing her eyes shut. "Almost there." She said through gritted teeth. The picture in her mind gained definition and expanded, she could see a little house, and then the mountains far beyond. In a grunt of effort Amanda and Adela burst through, landing heavily on the ground below. Amanda stood up slowly, rubbing her back. "Ow." She looked around, starting to remember where they were. "I think this is Route 117. That must be the Daycare place." She said, pointing to the small house. Adela looked around. "Shouldn't there be someone out?"  
Amanda said nothing, only gliding to the small house. It was painted purple, with a yellow fence serving as a border to the small yard on the side of the house. She could see a small pond, but no Pokemon. At all. Amanda opened the door, peering inside. Adela appeared next to her, walking inside. "Hello?" She asked, still in the Pokemon language. Amanda walked inside, to the empty counter. She rung a little bell with a note that said "Ring for service."  
They waited, but no one came. Beyond the counter, a dark doorway invited them in. Amanda glanced at Adela for her to follow, and jumped over the counter. She stopped right outside the doorway, "Watch." Amanda said, looking at Adela. She took a finger, and she literally poked the darkness shrouding the doorway. It reverberated, like a stone on a still lake. Adela gasped, taking a step back. She hit the counter, jumping at the sudden object in her way.  
"This world is like a machine. We were the workers, who kept it alive. When everyone woke up and realized what they were, who they were, the world literally grinded to a halt. Everyone... Everyone is dead Adela. We are the only ones left." Amanda said, fighting back tears.  
"My entire family, everyone I cared for, they're all dead. The only people I have left is you and Josh. So don't you dare say you want to live in this... This wasteland over us! Because even though it's been hard, even though it's been miserable, it's better than giving up completely!" Amanda said.  
Adela stared at her with complete shock. "How long have you known this?" She whispered.  
"The day after I was created."  
"And you've never told me?"  
"No."  
"And why not? Do you have any idea what I've been going through? The burden I car-"  
"DON'T YOU DARE TALK TO ME ABOUT BURDENS!" Amanda shouted. The little bell on the counter flung halfway across the room. She closed her eyes, regaining control.  
"This was YOUR choice, Adela. YOU were the one who decided to go through. You took that risk. It's not fair to blame me, to blame anyone for the pain that YOU'VE put on yourself. This wasn't going to be easy, it never was. The world out there is cruel. But it's better than this empty shell. With nothing in it! You're like a little kid, always bottling up your emotions, trying to keep it to yourself. You know English, you can talk to one of us! There's no longer any language barrier!"  
Adela sighed, dropping her head. She was right. She was always right. "I wanted to come here to see Aggron." She whispered.  
She felt Amanda's hands slip around her neck, "Adela. My sweet Adela, there's no one out here. You have to accept that."  
"I... I was hoping that he would still be here. Somehow or another, everything would be normal. Nothing would be different, I was hoping I'd get to see him again. See everyone again." She started crying, cursing herself for being so soft.  
"Comon Adela. Lets go back. We can't stay for much longer."  
She felt her legs betray her, picking herself up, and walking out of the empty house. Everything blurred together, and before she knew it she was back in the plane. Without another word, Adela sulked back to her spot in the rear turret, Amanda going back into the cockpit with Josh. Adela looked out of the window, staring at the expanse of ocean, glowing with orange from the sun. The pain in her paw was back. She lifted her front left paw, the infection had spread. It was a dark red, contrasting sharply with her blueish-black skin. She unsheathed her claws, examining them if they had been affected. They weren't, looking as deadly as ever.  
She looked at her paw with her crimson eyes, thinking of Aggron. She remembered his clumsy self, the nervous way he acted around her. The way he fiercely protects her in battle. A single tear slipped down her cheek, dropping onto her paw.  
"I'll be there soon. Just you wait."


	8. Chapter 16

Here it is, Chapter 16! I'm really happy with how this chapter came out, I was expecting to take a little more time on this than I had initially thought. So, please try and enjoy the chapter and don't forget to review! It helps me out a lot!

_Words in this font mean telepathy/thought speech, as well as personal thoughts of the character. _

(Chapter 16) An inglorious reunion

Amanda shut the door behind her, leaning on it for support and closing her eyes. She stayed there until she felt Josh's gaze on her.  
"Judging by your look it didn't go so well." She heard Josh say.  
Amanda shook her head slowly, her eyes still closed. "No. It didn't go well at all." She opened her eyes, and fell into the navigator's chair with a sigh of relief, glad to be off her feet. Josh turned fully around, telling Cory to keep a look out.  
"She thinks that... That she has to face everything alone. Like we don't want her."  
"That's not very surprising considering all that she's been through."  
"But it's not the right way to cope with her problems. She bottles them up until they warp her way of thinking. Remember back at the hotel we talked about the argument me and Adela had? At the time she didn't mean it, but she said she hated me! That's what she does when she keeps her emotions tied up. Right now, I know she's not very happy, very _anything_ right now, because she has gotten so good at hiding her feelings. It's like she's invisible, in terms of reading her emotions."  
Josh sighed, "I was afraid that this was going to happen. She's just so young... She never really experienced the good in life, only the bad."  
Amanda nodded. "What do you propose we do?"  
Josh shrugged. "We can't really do anything. Like it or not, we're shaping her personality. If she wants to be away from everyone, bottling up her emotions, then we can't stop her. We can, however, expose her to better things other than death, destruction, that sort of thing. I mean, everyone saw what happened in Japan."  
"The way things seem right now, that's going to be a long time from now. Exposing her to things other than death, I mean."  
Josh sighed, looking out of the window. "I know. And it's only going to get worse. But I swear, this is the last leg of this horrible journey. Then we can go somewhere's, find a nice quiet home, raise our baby..." Josh smiled, taking her hand.  
Amanda smiled back, but to herself it was a fake one. In reality, she was terrified. She had no idea how to raise a kid, let alone give birth. Josh only briefly went over the subject of reproduction when he taught her, it was awkward for both of them. So he hurried through the basics, and that was it.  
"So, where did you two go to cheer Adela up?"  
Amanda shook her head, snapping herself out of her thoughts. "Oh, we um... Well, we went back to our world. The world of Pokemon."  
Josh raised his eyebrows. "Really? You can do that?"  
Amanda smirked, "Don't underestimate me, _Mr._ _Burns_. I can teleport back there, but only for a short while."  
"Did you meet the old team?"  
"No... Everyone's dead back there."  
"What?"  
"You know the story Josh. It was how Adela got here in the first place."  
"I know, but I didn't think everyone would die. They'd just be... Insane. And didn't Adela say that Aggron was the only one left still sane?"  
"He went too. And then they all laid down and died." Amanda said somberly. She registered Josh's look of confusion.

"Let me explain. In that world of reality, things are very different. Normally, people and Pokemon have a very limited conscious. We're born, we have a family and friends, sure. But it's in a game. We do the silliest things without realizing it. In return for this, the world we live in continues turning. When you took me out of that world, or game, it made everyone fully conscious. They realized who they were, what they were, so on. This broke the balance, not to mention it turned everyone insane, because the entire world they lived in was fake. Everything canceled out, everything ceased to exist. There's nothing in that world now. It's an empty shell."  
Josh was a little overwhelmed. "Wow. I... I didn't think bringing you here made that much of an impact."  
Amanda smiled, "Don't worry about it. There are millions of worlds out there, we're practically dust in the wind."  
Josh smiled back, "Alright, I'll try not to worry about killing an entire world."  
"Good."  
"So, you said everyone had friends, a family?"  
"Right..."  
"So... Before I caught you in Emerald, did you have any family or friends?"  
Amanda laughed, "You really want to know?"  
"Yes!"  
"Fine. Lets see... Oh man, I haven't thought of my folks in so long. They were both Gardevoir, me being their only child. I remember my mother loved me very dearly. She would always sing me to bed. Whenever we ran into any trouble, she would get so mad if I got hurt. Sometimes I did get hurt, and she would go on a rampage. We constantly moved around, to be avoided being caught. We were alone, Gardevoir and their kin never live in packs or groups. My mother had this cute little red ribbon tied around her wrist. I once asked her about it, and she nearly burst into tears. I later figured out she had once been on someone's team, and that ribbon was her trainers. My father told me about it, that the trainer had abandoned her, tying that ribbon around her wrist and walking away. I guess that's why she was so protective around me, she didn't want to lose anyone she loved again. I was really shy when I was small, I always hid behind my mother if we ever met anyone. This was when I was a Ralts, of course. But one day, I got curious and wandered out onto the nearest route. I met a Poochyena there, and we became best friends. I was out playing with him one day, when all of a sudden he ran off, and I didn't know why. And then that's when you, or the trainer version of you, found me. You caught me, and that was that. That was the last time I ever saw my parents."  
Josh had his head planted on his hands, leaning back on the chair. "What was the trainer like?"  
Amanda laughed, "He was... Different. I grew to love him all the same, but sometimes the real you and the trainer you... Conflicted. He had these moments that he called "Notions." He would stop what he was doing freely, and do something else. It could be something small, like checking on us to see if we were okay, or suddenly calling out Rayquaza and flying to another city. Obviously, it was you controlling him. But while you were gone, he was free. And that was when he talked to me about these conspiracy's. He knew, in some way or another, that you were controlling him. To me, I thought it was cute, but ultimately crazy. Some giant in the sky controlling the entire world? Comon, that's crazy. But obviously, I couldn't say anything."  
"Do you miss him?" Josh asked.  
Amanda smiled sadly, "I miss everyone. The trainer you treated me with care, but he didn't love me like you do. He was more of a father figure. Azumarill was my mother for a long time, until I evolved and grew up."  
"What was the team like?"  
"What's with all these questions all of a sudden?"  
"Nothing, but it's interesting. That the team I had actually had a life when I was gone. I mean, I loved those guys."  
Amanda sighed, "Alright. I guess we'll start with me. I was quiet when the others were out, I tended to stick to myself. Adela was the same, although if she got into an argument she would stick to her side like glue. Rayquaza was calm. I don't think I've ever seen him get angry, even right after you caught him. He disliked you, but he never acted aggressive towards you. Um, Aggron was really clumsy. He was kind of the rookie, even though he was really good. Always bumping into things, and he had a huge crush on Adela. Ruby was like me, really quiet, only spoke when spoken to. She fought fiercely though. I saw the spirit I see in Adela when she's battling. But Azumarill, she was always bouncing around, knocking over things. She knew when to be serious, but she rarely ever did so. Together, we were a pretty good team. In battle, everyone kind of shed off their individual personality, working together to win. And it worked too. I forgot how many times we beat the Elite Four with just me, Adela, and Aggron."  
Amanda smiled, her ruby eyes far away. "They were great. They did what my parents couldn't. Father was always out, I rarely ever saw him. When he was here he was distant, it seemed as though he didn't want me. My mother told me that he was a tradesmen of sorts, trading his abilities or anything he had for food or anything else we needed. When they were gone, the team took me in. A foster family, I guess."  
A wall of silence came up between them, broken only by the hum of the engines.  
"Well, you should get some sleep. We're going to be landing soon, according to Cory."  
Cory nodded, "Yup. Maybe another 25 miles, and we'll be over land."  
"Okay." Amanda said, standing up and stretching. "If you need me I'll be in the back." She headed out, the door clicking behind her.  
Josh turned back around, switching back to manual control. "Keep an eye out Cory. This could be a war zone, no telling what could happen."  
Cory said nothing, his expression said it all. Outside, the sun was heading down, day slowly turning into night. In the distance, they could hear explosions, and see flashes of light over the horizon. The grey cloud hanging over what remained of Japan turned black. To Josh, it seemed as though Death himself had cast a spell over it.

Adela awoke with a sharp intake of breath, jerking awake. She jerked her head up, only to bring it back down with another sharp intake of air. Her head was a throbbing mass of pain. Even her horn pulsed to the steady throbbing. She opened her crimson eyes, and looked around while trying not to move her head. She felt vibrations on the floor, and as her vision focused she realized they were on the ground, rolling to a stop. They hit a big bump, and Adela was thrown slightly forward. Adela yelped out in pain as the bump caused her to land on her paw. She picked herself up slightly and took her paw out from under her, and flopped back down on the metal floor. It had gotten worse. The dark red infection was now up to her shoulder, completely engulfing her front left leg. Tufts of white fur came away, exposing her skin, mingled with the dark red. It ran up her leg in a spiral, branching out to what must be her nervous system. Tiny red cracks spread out from the main body of infection, spreading far beyond the main portion of infection. It went as far as to her slim abdomen, she wasn't sure if it stopped there or kept going, she couldn't move to push her fur away.  
"Adela? You alright? I heard you cry out."  
Adela opened her mouth to say something, but it only came out in weak croak.  
"Adela? You okay?" Carrie's face appeared upside down in the crawl space, her hair falling over. Adela regarded her with narrowed bloodshot crimson eyes, "Go away." She said hoarsely.  
Carrie's eyes widened, and her face disappeared. "Amanda! Josh! Adela's in trouble!" Adela heard her yell out, her footsteps pounding on the floor.  
Great. Now they're getting those two. The last people she wanted to see. Can't they just leave her in peace?  
She heard them approach, and Josh's face appeared in the crawl space this time. "Adela? What's- Whoa. Holy crap. You weren't kidding Carrie. Adela, can you get up? We have to see that up close."  
Adela only stared at Josh with those same narrowed eyes.  
Josh only looked back. "Comon. Get up."  
She didn't move.  
"Adela. Get. Up." Josh said sternly.  
Nothing but those bloodshot eyes.  
"Fine. Have it your way." Josh said, and his face disappeared.  
A blue light enveloped Adela in a bubble, and an invisible force smoothly glided her out of the rear turret, out of the stuffy plane, and onto the grass below. Adela didn't move. She didn't move when Josh approached her, Amanda at his side.  
"Now, don't move. This may hurt a bit."  
She stared at him as Josh reached out, parting the remaining of her fur on her leg for a better look at the infection. She winced when he touched it, his fingers cool against hers, which seemed to be on fire. She growled at him, but made no effort to attack. Josh lifted her leg a bit, pressing his finger down on her paw. Adela jerked away, but Josh held on.  
"You better remember who you're dealing with here. Now put those fangs away, you're not going to bite me again."  
She did as she was told, turning her head away. Her leg was in absolute agony.  
"Look, that must be where it started." Josh said to Amanda, pointing at the base of her paw.  
Amanda nodded, "Yeah. Hold on, let me get Sullivan." She glided away, while Josh probed her some more. He followed the branches of red, pushing away fur on her abdomen. "Hm. It's pretty bad. Glad we found out when we did, otherwise I don't think you would've made it."  
Adela scoffed, not looking at him.  
Josh stood up as Sullivan approached. "Glad you're here. Do you mind taking a look?"  
"No, of course not." Sullivan bent down on one knee, taking her leg and sending another flare of pain crashing through her. "Hey easy now. I know it hurts."  
He traced his finger down to her paw, stopping at the small black cut on her paw. "This is like nothing I've ever seen. I could give her some antibiotics, but I have no idea if it'll do any good. Bailey was bad, but we stopped infection. This, this is some kind of poison or infection."  
"Go ahead with the medicine. We'll figure out something." Josh said.  
Sullivan nodded, and hurried away for his bag. He walked back with a needle in hand, filled with a clear substance. He once again took her leg, and slid the needle into her leg. He pushed the plunger down, and took the needle out, covering the tiny hole with a bandage.  
"Josh? What should we do?" Amanda asked.  
"I'm not sure. We can't go yet until Adela gets better, that's for sure. We're not sure if she will get better, considering Adela isn't exactly human. But for right now we need to move her to somewhere's safe."  
After a brief moment, Adela felt herself being lifted by an invisible force, taking her who knows where. She wasn't there for that part, she had fell asleep after the shot.

Everything after that was a blur.

At one point she felt herself being lifted again, except this time physically. Pain erupted everywhere, but she couldn't move. The only thing she could do was croak weakly, barely moving.  
"Quiet, you'll give us away." She heard some distant voice say.  
She couldn't really see, but it looked around nighttime, and beyond the pain, she registered heat. Lots of it. She saw the glow of fire behind her, and black shadows moving within that glow.  
It didn't really matter anyway, as she felt herself sliding back into a dreamless sleep.  
She awoke once more, to unfamiliar eyes staring at her. She still couldn't move, but at least her vision focused. She looked around with half closed crimson eyes. She was laid down on her side, her head towards the people looking at her. A fire blazed in between the two men staring at her.  
"Look. It's awake." She heard one of them say. She followed that voice, to see some person she had no idea was. He had short curly brown hair, his face was covered in a cloth. He was wearing a reddish-brown tee shirt, with some unrecognizable art on it. He looked around 25, with large muscular arms.  
"It seems to look intelligent. Look at the way it's staring at you, Mason."  
Adela turned her eyes to another voice, on her right. It was the other man, with that same curly brown hair. The only difference is that he looked a lot older, streaks of grey stood in it. He was wearing spectacles, his face also covered in a cloth mask. He was wearing a white lab coat, buttoned up. They were both sitting down, the fire crackling between them. Adela felt the blackness tighten it's grip on her, and she closed her eyes, falling back asleep. The last words she heard before falling back asleep were: "This thing is going to fetch a high price..."  
Adela snapped her eyes open, drawing in a deep breath. She stayed still for a second, taking in her surroundings. She was in a silent white room, a fan overhead lazily swinging over and over. Large double doors to her left leaded out into the sun, and what seemed to be a porch. She was on a table, her hind legs tucked underneath her. She couldn't feel her front left leg, let alone move it. She looked over, and gasped.  
The infection was gone. Every inch of fur had been shaved off, all the way up to her shoulder. A large sewn-up incision curved it's way down from her shoulder to her paw. But it was gone. No more pain, no more dark red pulsing agony. She stood up slowly, discovering she still had a bit of strength. She put her front left leg down, expecting the worse. But no flare of pain, only the cool metal against her bare skin. She smiled, confident in her new-found ability to walk. She took a step forward... Only to step onto nothing. With a yelp, she crashed down onto the ground, overturning the metal table.  
"What in blazes is-"  
Adela turned her head, to see an old man in a suit staring at her with wide eyes.  
"Oh my. It seems to be awake." He said, backing away slowly. He turned and ran, leaving the door wide open. "Master! Master, the creature's awake!" He cried, his footsteps muffled by carpet.  
Adela got up slowly once more, and limped to the doorway. She peered out, watching the man disappear around a corner. The hallway was covered in red walls, matched by velvet carpet. Ornate lamps on golden perches lit the hallway, sunlight hazed through windows every 10 feet. She looked the other way, only to see brown legs, topped off with black buckled shoes. She looked up to the owner of these pants, and took a step back. He was enormous. A large pasty face looked down with disgrace, thick meaty arms were crossed around his chest. "You better get back in that room, mate." The man said, revealing a booming voice. Adela's eyes narrowed, she growled at him, exposing her fangs. The huge man chuckled, grabbing her by the scruff of her neck. He lifted her to his face, Adela still growling. The man smiled, and tossed her back into the white room, slamming the door behind him. She heard the door lock as she got up slowly.  
Footsteps approached from her left in the doorway. "Charlie! Open the door! I wanna see it!"  
Adela looked up. Sounded like a little girl talking to the man outside.  
"Oh no Izzy, that thing is way too dangerous. Wait until your father gets here." The man named Charlie boomed. Even the windowpanes shuttered in his voice.  
She was getting really tired of being called "It." Adela opened her mouth to say something, but stopped. They don't know what she's capable of. Better save that surprise for later.  
"No! Let me see it NOW!" The little girl yelled, stomping her feet.  
"Alright Izzy. Hold on a second." Said a new voice. It was male, very warm and gentle, with a trace of annoyance.  
Adela turned to it, hearing footsteps walking down the hallway. A moment's worth of silence, and once again the door opened.  
A little girl rushed in, clamping onto Adela with both arms. Adela yelped in surprise, shaking off the girl. She held on, and it wasn't too long before Adela had run out of strength to fight back. The little girl was giggling, enjoying the ride to try and rip her off.  
"Alright, let the poor thing go." Said that male voice.  
Instantly the little girl was off of Adela. The girl ran towards the man, and plopped down on his shoe, looking at Adela with a huge grin on her face.  
"Sorry about that. My little girl has been wanting to see you for a long time now." The man said. He was probably the father. Adela looked up at the man, studying him. He was very lean, wearing a lab coat with a brown button-up under it. He had short brown hair, with a stubble of a beard growing on his chin. It wasn't the men she had met before, that's for sure.  
"You're probably wondering where you are right now." The man said, rubbing the back of his head.  
"Welcome to the Nagy residence. One of the richest homes in Greece."  
Adela raised her brow. She had no idea where Greece was. But she knew she had to get to Josh. Or Amanda. Whichever.  
Adela stood up, and walked slowly to the man. The girl could barely contain herself, she was trembling with energy. She took on the act of sniffing his shoe, eyeing the way out. It looked like a straight getaway, worse case scenario she would have to jump out of a window.  
Then man bent down, petting her head. Adela tensed up, but she tried to ignore it. Just a little bit more...  
The man moved his hand down, and brushed something around her neck. In her concentration, Adela didn't notice this.  
NOW!  
Adela leapt away from the man, moving with surprising agility, considering she had just woke up. She blasted down the hallway, and around the corner. Behind her, she heard the girl scream. Ahead of her, a woman jumped out Adela's way, who was nearing 40mph on foot. She rounded corner after corner, twisting and turning out of people's way. At last, she saw an exit. It beckoned to her, the open air, the fresh grass, the searing pain in her neck.  
Wait, what?  
A jolt of electricity ran through her body, knocking her off her feet. She tumbled through the open doorway, only to be grabbed harshly by her fur, and thrown back into the house. She barely registered this, the ring of fire currently around her neck was her main concern. She clawed at it, panting harshly, trying to breathe. It had clamped down on her windpipe, apparently burning her, and sending regular waves of electricity all at the same time. Adela tried to get up, only to find her strength had abandoned her, leaving her gasping for air on the plush velvet carpet.  
"Alright. Turn it off, it's choking." She heard the girl's father say.  
All of a sudden everything stopped, Adela taking in gulps of air, hacking for breath.  
"Well, that wasn't very fun, was it?" The man said, leaning down into Adela's face. His voice was soothing, but his eyes said otherwise. They said: _You just try that again, you stupid mutt. Try it again, I'd love to see you suffer once more._  
Adela growled weakly, her crimson eyes flashing. The man chuckled, "Quite some pretty eyes you got there. I don't think I've seen anything like them. But then again, you're full of surprises, aren't you?" He said, still in her face.  
"You don't know the half of it." Adela said hoarsely.  
His face instantly changed from cool and in control, to startled. But in a flash it was gone, replaced by a wide smile. "I knew you could understand me." He said, still smiling. He stood up straight, signaling his goon. "Put it back in it's room. If it runs, don't hold back on the collar."  
Adela groaned, she was getting real tired of the "It".  
Hands grabbed her roughly, and she set on her feet. A kick to her haunches made her go. Adela snarled over her shoulder, and sulked back to the room.

Adela made a quick escape plan while she rested on the metal table in this god forsaken room. First things first, she had to get the collar off. There were no mirrors in the room, but she could look down just enough to get a glimpse of it. It was a metallic grey, with a thin line running vertically down the middle. It must be like a cuff, coming apart like so. A red-orange light glowed in the fading light of the room. So far, that was all she could see. After about an hour or so of regaining her strength, she hopped off the metal table, stretching.  
"Alright." She whispered to herself. She walked over to the double doors leading out to the porch. Glancing at it, she hopped up on her hind legs, resting her paws on the handles. She tried them. Locked. Well, it was worth a shot. She could probably run through the multiple glass panes that crossed the door, but there's no telling what lies beyond. They probably expect her to go through the doors, it's the most obvious way out. The room was completely bare, save for the table serving as her bed. An air vent was bolted to the ceiling, next to the ceiling fan. It seemed to be large enough for her to squeeze through, but it was on the ceiling. She might be able to jump onto the fan, using that as a handhold (pawhold?) for her to take off the grill and get through. She didn't have time to test out the theory, the door opened revealing the old man in a suit.  
He cleared his throat, "Dinner is ready." He said in a shaky voice. He held up a small remote, "And don't think about trying anything." He said, trying to sound threatening.  
Adela scoffed, but followed him anyways. She was really hungry, she hadn't eaten since... When exactly? How long had she been out?  
The old man led her through a series of corridors, and finally he stopped at a set of greatly polished Oak doors. He opened them for Adela, and she walked through, revealing an enormous room, dominated by a 10 foot long table, covered in food. At the head of the table, was the little girl's father, dressed in a gleaming white suit. The little girl known as Izzy sat on his right, eating pre-cut bits of steak. To his right, was a young woman. She had dark brown hair, like the little girl. She didn't look too happy, looking down at her food. She was probably the wife. Servants bustled about, taking away plates, adding some. There was no one else at the table but those three. The man at the head of the table spread his arms, "Welcome! I bet you're hungry."  
Adela didn't have to say anything, her stomach did all the talking. The man cried out in laughter, "I'll take that as a yes!" He clapped his hands, and two servants in the same white suits appeared at his side. "Take care of our new friend here." He said to them. They nodded, and walked over to Adela.  
"Right this way sir." One of them said, pointing to a chair the other servant was pulling out.  
It took Adela a moment to understand, she had never actually been at a table. Either under it, or away from it.  
She walked to the chair, hopping into it, her forelegs on the table. Instantly, plates piled with food surrounded her, the servant pushed the chair back to the table.  
The woman sighed, "James, do we really have to put it at the table?"  
"Now now darling, just for tonight. Isn't that right, Izzy?"  
The girl nodded gleefully, "Right!" She yelled.  
But Adela had other plans. She didn't like being at this stupid table, however fancy it was. She didn't know these people, she wanted to back with Josh and Amanda. Screw this. Adela took the largest piece of meat she had, and jumped off the chair. She landed on her feet, and disappeared under the table, away from the three strangers.  
"Awwww." She heard Izzy moan, disappointed by her leaving.  
"Humph. Even it agrees it shouldn't be on the table."  
Adela stopped eating. Okay, that's enough of that.  
Her head appeared out from under the table. "Stop calling me an it, for Arceus's sake!" She cried. Even Adela was a little surprised how much more her voice had developed. She sounded like a young woman.  
Everyone stopped, even the servants. In a huff, Adela disappeared again under the table.  
"Daddy! It... I mean, he or she can talk! He can talk!"  
"Honey, I think he is actually a she." James said quietly. He seemed to be thinking. The woman only stared at where Adela's head had been. "It... _She_ can talk."  
She ran a hand through her dark brown hair. "What have we gotten ourselves into?" She said to herself.

The rest of "dinner" was eaten in silence, the only sound was of tinkling plates and shuffling feet. Adela had finished the steak and was grinding down her teeth on the bones left when a slice of chocolate cake slid under the table, right next to her. She stopped, looking at the desert. She sniffed it, and wrinkled her nose. She kicked it back out from the table, and resumed on her bone. After about thirty minutes or so, the old man appeared, lifting up the table cloth and peering down at her. He held up the remote, and Adela got up willingly. She followed him back to her room, not saying anything.  
Once again, she was in the room. Once again, she was alone.

Josh opened the door to the old shop, looking around. He was wearing a grey hoodie, the hood up. A bag was slung over his shoulder. Next to him, Amanda's face was hidden in robes. In the small town, they didn't stick out much. Thunder rumbled in the distance, a light sheet of rain steadily fell from the sky. The little shop was piled high with antique objects, a suit of armor stood rusting in one corner. A large wooden counter stood in the middle, cluttered with papers and antiques. No one seemed to be around. Josh and Amanda walked up to the counter, ringing the small silver bell for service. They waited a moment, before hearing footsteps from above. Another moment, and a young man appeared, wiping his hands on a cloth that looked as old as the rest of the stuff in here. He had short curly brown hair, wearing a simple white cotton tee-shirt. Josh heard Amanda gasp next to him.  
_It's him. He's the one who took Adela._ She said in his mind.  
"Welcome to our little shop. How can I help you?" The young man said almost eagerly.  
He really did have no idea who they were.  
The man eyed Amanda in the robes, her face hidden.  
"Ah, well I was hoping you could take a look at this old thing I found the other day." Josh said, putting the bag on the counter. He unzipped it, revealing one of Sullivan's old Thompson sub-machine guns.  
The man's eyes widened, "Wow." He picked it up from the bag, sliding back the bolt. Of course, it was empty. "Where'd you get this thing?"  
"That doesn't matter. I'm not sure if it works or not, but I know they're a little bit of a rarity."  
"Well yeah! Man, you're looking at 10 grand here!"  
Josh smiled. "You seem interested in it. Care to take it off my hands?"  
"Well, I can't just buy it off from you, it's illegal to-"  
Josh put his hand up, stopping him. "Come on now. Don't waste my time, and I won't waste yours."  
The young man put the old gun down, taking on a serious look. "Alright. Come with me." He turned around and disappeared behind a set of wooden double doors, taking the weapon with him.  
Josh glanced behind him, looking out of the large display window. On the opposite side of the street, a hotel stood. In one of it's many windows, a brief flash of light signaled him to go ahead. Outside, two clean lines of Chinese military police officers piled on the side of the building, out of sight. Snipers poked out of random windows on the hotel. Josh nodded, and followed the young man through the set of double doors, Amanda behind him.  
They weren't expecting such a large organization. Behind those doors, about 30 men sat around on tables. On the tables, intricate glass tubing bubbled various chemicals. It smelled like a chemistry lab. All the tubing curved towards a large bowl, filled with large chunks of pure white cocaine. Every now and then another chunk spilled out from the open end of the tubing, still bubbling on the surface. The three walked past this, through a curtain. On the other side, was the older man, working delicately on a dissected AK-47. The young man cleared his throat, and the older man looked up from his work. He regarded Josh and Amanda, then looked to the young man. "What do you have for me?"  
The young man opened the bag, revealing the Thompson.  
"Oh, wow. She's a beauty." He picked it out of the bag, feeling it's weight, sliding the bolt back and peering in.  
"Hm. Barrel's clean. Either someone's been taking real good care of it, or it's broken and doesn't fire. And determining how smoothly the bolt goes back, I'm going for the first choice." The old man looked up, "So, what do you want for it? Drugs? Money? Women?"  
"Information." Josh said.  
The older man smiled. "No. That is one thing I cannot sell. We keep this little organization a secret, it's how we've been in business for so long."  
"I don't think you have much of a choice." Josh said. Outside the curtains, a man yelled out in surprise. There was a brief burst of gunfire, and the rumble of working stopped. Something made of glass shattered.  
The young man sprung up, only to be brought back down when Josh drew a very large revolver. Amanda unwrapped herself from her robes, smoothing back down her hair. "Ugh. It was getting hot in those things."  
"Right. Now, you're going to tell me where a peculiar animal has been shipped to. White fur, a curved horn on her head. Pretty hard to miss."  
The old man had his hands raised, his face in complete surprise. He glanced at the young man, then back to Josh. "I can't tell you! They'll kill me!"  
"Not before I do." Josh said coldly, cocking the hammer back on the revolver.  
"Look, we'll give you anything you want! We have about a million dollars worth of drugs stored in the back! Take it and leave!"  
"I don't give a shit about your drugs! Where's Adela!" Josh yelled, jamming the barrel of the revolver into the man's forehead.  
"Please don't shoot! I don't know what you're talking about!" He blubbered.  
"I'm talking about the damn animal you stole from me! Where is she!" Josh yelled. He drew his gun back, but still pointing it at his head. The old man was about to say something, but was cut off by a man bursting in through the curtains. "Sir! We've got police every-" He stopped, glancing at Josh with the gun, and Amanda next to him. In a flash, he had his weapon drawn, taking aim. Before he could fire, the weapon flew out of his hand, clattering to the floor. It then unloaded itself, the slide clicking back and the magazine sliding out of the grip. The unfired bullets zoomed out of the room.  
Josh didn't even turn around, he knew Amanda had his back.  
"Right. You were telling me where Adela was taken to?" Josh said.  
"Alright. I'll tell you what we know! Just promise me you'll leave me in peace!"  
"Deal. Now where is she?"  
"Some rich guy took that thing off of our hands. We thought it was dead anyway, so we gave it to him for a small price. But I don't know who he was, I swear! He mentioned something about Greece, and that's all I know! Now please, just leave us and put that gun away!" The old man cried.  
Josh did, tucking the weapon back into the shoulder holster. "Thank you."  
He turned to Amanda. "Amanda. You know what to do."  
Amanda nodded grimly. Josh walked out of the room, pushing the curtain back. He heard the old man scream, and then suddenly cut off. In the drug making room, Sullivan and the squad of police had the men lined up on the wall, all cuffed behind their backs. They looked down while Josh walked out of the shop. He waited for Amanda, while more police showed up. She finally showed up, wiping her mouth. "I hate doing that." She said, walking away from the shop with Josh.  
"It's necessary. Did you learn anything?"  
"No. Except the guy's name. James. Oh, and I know how to make cocaine now." She said.  
"Well, that's helpful." Josh said sarcastically. While they walked down the road, Carrie had joined them, keeping a distance. She had on the same grey hoodie as Josh. Cory showed up on Josh's right, also wearing a hoodie and maintaining a distance.  
"Hey, you told me to use Dream Eater. And I did. Not my fault we didn't learn much about where Adela is."  
Josh sighed, "I suppose so." He stopped in front of a large white van, and opened the passenger door. Amanda got in, and Josh got in the driver's seat. Carrie and Cory got in the back. Josh started the engine, and went back to the shop. He stopped there, and waited for Sullivan. He finally showed up out of the shop, pushing one of the arrested guys out of the shop with him. He glanced at the van, and dropped the guy off. Sullivan jogged to the van, and got in. Josh backed away, and drove off out of the small town.

After a 30-minute trip, they arrived at what Josh called "Headquarters". It was a small hut, located just about in the middle of nowhere. As far as the eye could see, nothing but flat land. A rough dirt road connected to an equally rough asphalt road, which led off from a highway. The hut seemed to abandoned, Amanda sensed no one was near when they found it. It was mostly made of concrete, with a rotting wooden floor. They set up camp where the floor seemed to be the strongest. The rain had let up, but even so leaks dripped from the ceiling. The bomber was safely hidden in the forest that surrounded them and the small town on all sides.  
"So, we're going to Greece." Josh said, crossing his arms. He stood in front of the group, who gathered where the floor could hold them up. Bailey sat in the corner, her head on her paws, tail twitching.  
Everyone stared back, mostly in doubt.  
"And how do you propose we do that?" Sullivan spoke up.  
"Easy. We fly there." Josh said, shrugging.  
"Actually, we're not." Cory said. "This is it for me. I need to get back to Australia. I have a wife, I need to make sure she's okay. This is my stop."  
Josh looked at him. He had forgotten he had a family back there. "Are you sure? After everything we've been through?"  
"I'm sorry mate. You guys are awesome, but I have my own to take of. I already called a buddy of mine that's near. He's headed over here with a tanker and we're getting out of here." He brushed back a lock of blonde hair.  
Josh sighed. "Alright. I understand. I won't stop you."  
Cory smiled. "Thanks. He'll be here around tomorrow, so I'll at least have time to say my goodbyes."  
"So, what now?" Sullivan asked.  
Josh thought for a moment, stroking his chin. "We have two options as far as I can see it. One, we can teleport there. It might not be exact, but at least it'll be better than where we are now. Two, we can drive there. It'll take a couple of weeks, and by that time Adela could be dead for all we know."  
"Hold on. Doesn't Amanda have to know where to teleport first, in order to teleport?" Sullivan said.  
"Right. I was just getting to that. Amanda, I taught you basic world geography. Do you remember where Greece is?"  
"That's the... Boot-looking one, right?"  
Everyone groaned in exasperation.  
"Hold on." Carrie said. She had been quiet during the entire discussion. "Why go over there? We know this guy is in Greece, right? He came all the way to this little place, on the outskirts of _China_ to get Adela. Why not do the same?"  
Josh raised his eyebrow. "What are you proposing?"  
"Let him _come over here_. We have Amanda! She's aught to catch the eyes of someone like him!"  
"We don't know this guy. For all we know he's some kind of crazy exotic cook. I'd hate to say it, but Adela could be this guy's dinner."  
"Which is why we go with her!"  
"Are you kidding me? That'll never work."  
"Comon Josh, think! He knows us as much as we know him. We- or shall I say Amanda- will bargain with him. Make us come with her, or no deal."  
"I can see that working." Sullivan said, thinking.  
"Yeah. And if it doesn't work out, I can always hypnotize him. We just need to convince him to get over here." Amanda said.  
"And if he chooses not to come over?" Josh asked, skeptical.  
"Alright. We vote. All in favor of driving there?" Carrie said.  
No hands.  
"Didn't think so. All in favor of teleporting there, in hope we get near?"  
No hands except Josh's.  
"And finally, Carrie's plan?"  
Everyone's hands came up, excluding Bailey.  
Josh sighed. "Carrie's plan it is. Alright. First things first, how are we going to contact him?"  
A moment of silence while everyone though of something.  
"That guy. Mason, was it? The one who took Adela. We can get him to call James." Carrie said.  
Josh nodded, "Alright. Anyone else?"  
"I was thinking of the same thing. It seems pretty straightforward." Sullivan said.  
Josh clapped his hands together. "Alright. Well, it's..." Josh glanced at his wrist, checking the time. "3:00. We'll rest up, and go get Mason to call up James."  
Everyone agreed willingly. They all got up, going to their respective sleeping bags. Carrie and Sullivan next to another, along with Bailey in Carrie's arms. Cory was out on watch outside. There weren't enough sleeping bags, so Josh made a makeshift bed for him and Amanda with a bundle of soft blankets. He and her laid down, facing opposites. They didn't talk much, the tension in the air was evident.  
"Hey, Josh." Amanda said softly.  
"Hm."  
"What do you think happened to Adela?"  
He sighed. "I don't know. There are a lot of psychos out there. I just hope she's okay."  
"What about that disease that she had? Do you think it's gotten worse?"  
"Before those guys kidnapped her we gave her a heavy dose of medicine and the rest of our morphine. It should've killed off most of the infection, and if that guy treated her right then she should be fine."  
Amanda sighed. "Okay."  
He heard her roll over, and a light hand on his back. "Do you think she's gone Josh?"  
He was quiet for a long time. "No. Adela is strong. Stronger than I had originally thought she would be. She can handle herself."  
"And if you're wrong? If we're too late?"  
"Then we kill the guy and keep moving."  
"That's it? Just like that?"  
"Just like that."  
He heard Amanda sigh, and roll back over. Her touch left his back.  
"Alright."

According to the police, Mason was currently being interrogated. They were welcome to meet him, considering Josh and his team had helped them bust their drug operation. Josh opened the door and walked in. Amanda stayed outside, wrapped in robes again. She didn't have good memories of interrogation rooms. The room was completely bare, save for a table with Mason sitting in it, his cuffed hands holding a paper cup of water. He looked up, and instantly dropped the cup of water.  
"Whoa, whoa what is he doing here?" He said to the mirror behind him.  
"Relax, I only have a small favor I know you can do." Josh said calmly, sitting down across from Mason.  
"Look man, I'm sorry about your dog-thing! Business is business! It's probably dead anyway."  
"Business is not stealing what isn't yours." He said, the tone of his voice saying: _You better shut the fuck up and do what I say._  
"Here's what you're going to do for me." Josh said, taking out a cell phone. "You're going to call up the guy who has Adela. James, is his name. You're going to tell him you have another creature for him, even more exotic than Adela. And that's it."  
"That'll never work man! Last time he asked for pictures and shit!"  
"Then we'll give him pictures, you pathetic idiot. You _are _going to succeed in getting him back over here. Failure is not an option. It's a simple task." Josh handed him the cell phone. "Now, call him up and try to act calm. If you need to be alone, I'll go in the other room."  
Mason shook his head, "No, no that's okay."  
He started dialing with slightly trembling fingers. After a couple of rings, the other side answered to a male voice, warm and gentle. The cell phone was on speaker, so everyone heard the conversation.  
"Mason, my good man! What is it this time you have for me? Another order of weapons, I presume?"  
"No man, I got something good for you. I got another creature I know you'll love. It isn't like anything we've ever seen."  
"Really?" He seemed genuinely intrigued. "What does it look like?"  
Mason looked over to Josh for help. Josh looked over to the closed door, which then opened. Amanda glided in, shedding off her robes. Josh looked over to Mason, who was staring at Amanda. He signaled him to go ahead.  
"Um, well it's got uh, real pale skin. It's very humanoid looking, feet and everything. Large red eyes, green hair. By the looks of it, it looks female.  
"Very interesting. How about health, does she look healthy? Because the last one you gave us almost died. She had to undergo surgery to survive. In fact, she just woke up, and is resting now. Another question, can the creature we're talking about speak?"  
Mason looked to Josh for an answer once more. He nodded.  
"Uh, yeah, she can. She's been spitting out curses since we got her..."  
"Really now? Can I speak to her?" Josh signaled Mason to go ahead with it.  
"Uh, sure, just let me get to her..."  
Josh looked to Amanda while Mason handed her the phone. _Act like you're in captivity. _He thought to her.  
She nodded, "What do you want?" She asked menacingly. Mason flinched a little bit.  
The man over the phone laughed. "My my, you have a lovely voice. Tell me, do you have a name, creature?"  
"Sure do. It's kiss my ass." She said, with the same amount of hostility.  
The man laughed again, "You've got quite a mouth on you. We'll be sure to correct that, just as we have with your little friend over here. Now, be a nice little lady and put me back on Mason." The phone was transferred back to him.  
"Sorry about that, like I said she was spitting out curses since we got her."  
"Don't you worry about that, I'll whip that out of her."  
Amanda winced.  
"Now, what are we talking about price-wise?"  
"100k. No less than that."  
"Ah, same price as before, eh? Alright. I'll be there by tomorrow to see her, and we'll go through the usual to transfer her over to my care."  
"Sounds great man. See you then."  
"You sure you okay Mason? You sound a little... Nervous."  
"Nah man, I'm good. Just a long day." A long moment of silence followed his reply. It seemed like an eternity before he spoke up again.  
"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow."  
Mason hung up, giving the phone back to Josh.  
"So, am I free to go?" Mason asked hopefully. Josh was getting up, helping Amanda put back on her robes. He stopped, looking over his shoulder.  
"What? No, of course not." Josh said, returning to Amanda. She tucked in the last bit of cloth, then walked out of the door. Josh followed her, about to close the door.  
"Wait! You're just going to leave me here?"  
"Well, yeah. I'll be back tomorrow, when James gets here. But you're still in custody. Not my fault you decided to run a meth lab in the back of an antique shop." Josh said, closing the door behind him. Him and Amanda walked out of the police station, and into the idling white van from before. Only Cory and Carrie were in the van, Cory driving and Carrie in the back. Cory put it into gear, and they drove off. Behind them, a blue wave of light crashed through the police station. One of the guards standing outside blinked and looked around, confused.  
"How did it go?" Carrie asked, sitting next to Amanda. She was taking off her robes once more, smoothing down her hair.  
"Perfectly. He's on his way. Once here, we can do practically anything we want with him."  
"So, what _are_ we going to do once he gets here?" Amanda shrugged, and looked to Josh.  
"Simple. We just hypnotize him to tell us to bring us back to Greece with him."  
"Just like that?" Carrie asked, a little doubtful.  
"Just like that." He said, crossing his arms.  
It was a short trip, Cory stopped in front of the now closed antique shop. Carrie was confused.  
"What are we doing here?"  
"James is going to be here tomorrow. We have to make it look like everything is normal. We can't get those men who have been working in the drug shop, but we'll make an excuse. In the meantime, we have to clean this place up, get Amanda in the holding cell is there is one, so on. We'll bring Mason in to talk to James tomorrow."  
Carrie nodded, "Alright." She got out, along with Josh and Amanda. Cory stayed behind.  
"Sorry, my friend's here early with the tanker. This is where we part ways, mate." He said sadly.  
Josh got back in and clapped him on the shoulder.  
"It's been good. Take care Cory."  
He nodded, and once Josh was out of the van, drove off. Everyone remaining watched the van disappear into the night. Once they could no longer see the flash of the taillights, they went into the antique shop. Sullivan was already there, dozing off with his feet propped up on the wooden counter and a hat over his eyes. Bailey was on the floor, playing with a rusty helmet from the suit of armor.  
Josh smiled, it seems as though Sullivan had done most of the work. He checked the drug-making room, opening the double doors. There it was, all the glass work had been either replaced or repaired. It was eerie almost, how it stood there. There was a bloodstain on the floor far beyond the glass work, behind a set of curtains. He looked away, grimacing and closing the doors.  
"Good work Sullivan. You did all the work for us." Josh said, turning around. He stopped, and smiled.  
Everyone was on the scarred wooden floor of the shop, fast asleep. He walked over to the large display window, and drew the curtains. He did the same with any other windows. Once done, he laid down next to Amanda, and fell asleep.

The masked man watched the van through the a high-powered scope. The reticle glowed a distinct green from the night-vision enhancer. He slid the large bolt back, and loaded in a bullet. The silencer attached to the end of the sniper would provide enough suppression so that he wouldn't be spotted. Even so, he would have to change positions if he did fire. He slid the bolt back into place, and traced the van.  
"In position." The man whispered into the open com in his ear.  
"Roger. Team Two, prepare for capture. Team One, keep your ground. Back Team Two up if anything goes wrong. Snipers... Well you know what to do." Said a familiar voice. In the lush foliage surrounding the small hut, the squad of men were practically invisible. The scout team had already located the WWII bomber, and stayed in it's general vicinity should anyone make a run for it. The white van stopped in front of the hut, and Cory stepped out. The man pointed the scope's reticle for his head, compensating for distance. He only had a single bullet, but he trusted himself he wouldn't miss. After all, he was one of U.S's finest snipers. In his ear, Aguire whispered for Team Two to advance. About 200 meters from the white van, the foliage moved ever so slightly. Cory looked around once more, and headed into the small hut, shutting the wooden door behind him.  
"Team Two, advance. Pile up on the west side. Team One, pile up on the east. Snipers, keep a look out."  
As if from nowhere, figures in black appeared from the thick grass, surrounding the hut from all sides. Four members of Team Two covered the door from behind the white van, while the remaining four piled on each side of the door, waiting for orders. Team One covered them from the other side of the hut, aiming for any possible back exits. They weren't actually any rear exits, but the wall seemed feeble enough. Experience from the last capture showed that anything could happen.  
"Alright. Breach and clear. You are NOT cleared to fire. I want him alive."  
A solid copy came from Team Two, and the members piled outside the door burst into action. One sprung up, and kicked open the door, using the momentum from the kick to jump back, letting the remaining members to go in. Cory, looking around the hut, was frozen in place with surprise. Before he even had a chance to react, the three men tackled him to the ground.  
"Clear!" One of them yelled.  
"HVT secured." Another said.  
Aguire smiled, getting up from his place in the grass. "Excellent. You know what to do." He said. He took off his visors. Behind them, were eyes of a madman. They were a bright blue, literally glowing with some unknown power. Even Cory, still in the hut, felt that gaze on him. It pierced through his soul, replacing anything left with coldness and wild panic. He wrenched at his captures, "Let go of me!" He cried. In his struggle, he didn't see one of the squad member draw his pistol, and point it at Cory's temple.  
A wind picked up, tossing Aguire's now long, grey hair around. His scratched at his skin, which had shriveled up and turned grey. Cracks in the skin bled a constant thick black ooze. It mingled with the rainwater falling down, creating a gooey grey mess on his arms and face. His eyes had sunken into their sockets, his lips were black. But in that same voice, on the brink of madness, he said: "I'm coming for you Amanda."

Amanda woke up with a scream, her ears ringing from the gunshot in her head. She was sitting bolt upright, the small blanket around her piling at her feet. A film of cold sweat had formed over her skin. She looked wildly around, prepared to attack that horrid figure in her dreams. In the darkness, everywhere she looked his face formed in her vision. That cracked, grey face. The long grey hair, whipping in the wind. But the thing that scared her more than anything were those eyes. As blue as a sapphire, it's gaze so sharp it pierced right through her. Sunken into his face, like a poor animal trapped in quicksand. They dazzled with insanity. She dared not to reach into that mind, for fear she might go insane if she did. And she knew who's mind it was. Rain pounded on the roof, giving the silence a constant drone. Lightning flashed from outside, accompanied by the boom of thunder. Amanda jumped every time thunder would sound.  
"Oh my god." She whispered, completely scared out of her mind. A hand touched her shoulder. In her current state, she was 100% positive it was Aguire. She screamed again, jumping to her feet and putting up a wall of light between her and her attacker. Thanks to her training, it didn't go through anything solid this time. It was a perfect square, stopping right at the edge of the four sides of the shop. Josh scampered back, so she wouldn't chop off his legs.  
"Relax, it's just me!" He said, putting his hands up. Behind him, everyone else slowly came back to life.  
Amanda had a hand to her chest, and after a solid moment, she put her glowing hand down. The wall dissipated with it.  
Josh went to her, putting an arm around her trembling shoulders. "What happened? I've never seen you so scared before."  
"I-I'm sorry Josh. I had a this horrible dream. It was about Cory, that he was caught by Aguire. Except Aguire wasn't... He wasn't human. He was one of those... Things that we saw on the ship." She buried her face into Josh's chest.  
"It was so vivid... Like looking through his eyes."  
Josh comforted her, "Hey, it was only a dream. Cory is fine. I heard the plane take off not too long ago. Hard to forget the sound of those engines."  
Carrie walked up to him, rubbing her eyes.  
"What happened?" She asked groggily, her emerald eyes half closed.  
Josh looked up, seeing that everyone was awake. Bailey yawned, exposing her large canines.  
"Amanda had a bad dream. A _really_ bad dream. But don't worry, everything's fine now. Go back to bed, we have a lot to do tomorrow."  
Carrie nodded, walked about half a foot, and dropped right there onto the floor. Bailey got up and went to her, dropping down besides her. Josh smiled, rubbing Amanda's back. She looked up, her ruby eyes wide in the dark. She didn't look at him, only stared with worry out the shaded display window.  
"Hey." She jumped a little, and looked to him.  
"You sure you're okay?"  
She nodded quickly. "Yeah. I just... Never experienced anything like that. I'm okay, seriously."  
Josh studied her eyes. He couldn't see anything in them that said otherwise.  
"Okay. Lets go back to bed." But Amanda shook her head. "I've slept enough. You can go ahead if you'd like, but I'm going to stay up."  
Josh studied her eyes once more, searching for something. _Anything._ But no luck. He nodded, "Okay. Try not to be seen, alright?"  
She nodded, but already he knew she was returning to her thoughts. Thoughts of something. He wish he knew what it was.  
Josh walked back to where they fell asleep, laying back down. He had his back to her. Amanda turned around, staring out of the only open window, in her thoughts.  
_I should tell him._ _He deserves to know.  
_Amanda shook her head to herself.  
_No. He has enough to deal with. Best just leave this be, I can wait until I find-  
_"Hey, Amanda?"  
She stopped her flow of thoughts, turning around. It was Josh, laying down but facing her. "Yeah?"  
"You know Cory well enough to sense his presence, right?"  
_Oh no. For the love of Arceus, say no.  
_Amanda nodded her head slowly, "...Yeah."  
"Make sure he's on his way, please. I know I heard the plane take off, but I want to make sure." Josh whispered.  
Amanda nodded her head, and closed her eyes. She reached out for Cory, could feel nothing in his general direction. Nothing but cold, empty space. Her temple throbbed, flashes of memory from the dream surged back. Cory struggling in the men's grip, the masked man putting the gun up to his temple. The brief flash of fire, hidden in the thunder.

Amanda winced, opening her eyes. She noticed the look on Josh's face, mild worry. She felt it too. Almost instantly she hid it away from him, and felt Josh relax. This all happened in half a second.  
"Well?" Josh asked.  
"He's... He's fine. Him and his friend are chatting in the cockpit." She lied, offering a small smile.  
She felt Josh relax even more, almost all worry in his mind fading away._  
__I'm sorry Josh. I'm so sorry._  
"Alright, well glad he's okay. Night Amanda. Love you." He said, rolling over.  
In the dark room, he couldn't see the tears rolling down Amanda's cheeks.  
She put her hand up halfheartedly, "Night..." She said, barely audible. She watched Josh fall asleep, the rain intensifying. Tears fell freely from her cheeks, as she came to realize what she had witnessed in her dreams.  
Thunder flashed behind her, creating half-second shadows from the curtained windows. In Amanda's eyes, she could swear she saw something lurking in those shadows.


End file.
